Kentucky 2026 Regular Session Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 3 R · 1 D cosponsors

HB 397 — AN ACT relating to trophy catfish.

Last action — recommitted to Appropriations & Revenue (H)

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced January 15, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Advancing 38% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 4 sponsors

    4 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (3 R · 1 D) — cross-party backing.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 150 to define terms; require that any permit issued to take a lower Ohio River trophy catfish shall expire on May 31, 2027; prohibit the issuance or reissuance of an any lower Ohio River trophy catfish permits after that date; after the effective date of the Act, prohibit the transfer or reissuance of any lower Ohio River trophy catfish permit; prohibit the transportation of live trophy catfish except by boat while in the course of legally fishing; amend KRS 150.990 to make a violation of the prohibition on transporting live trophy catfish a Class A misdemeanor for the first offense and a Class D felony for each subsequent offense.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

1 change Share ↗

Compared against the Kentucky Revised Statutes as published AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill adds a new section regarding trophy catfish regulations and amends existing penalties for violations under KRS 150.990.

  • KRS 150.990

    10 (1) Any person who violates any of the provisions of KRS 150.4111, 150.640, or KRS 150.450(2) or (3) shall be fined not less than one hundred dollars ($100) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000).

    Adds new penalty provisions for additional offenses related to wildlife regulations.

Action History

  1. recommitted to Appropriations & Revenue (H)

  2. floor amendment (1) filed to Committee Substitute

  3. 2nd reading, to Rules

  4. reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1)

  5. to Natural Resources & Energy (H)

  6. to Committee on Committees (H)

  7. introduced in House

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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4 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 134 not signed on

Sponsors (4)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (134)

134 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 134 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

environment
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HB 397 do?
Create a new section of KRS Chapter 150 to define terms; require that any permit issued to take a lower Ohio River trophy catfish shall expire on May 31, 2027; prohibit the issuance or reissuance of an any lower Ohio River trophy catfish permits after that date; after the effective date of the Act, prohibit the transfer or reissuance of any lower Ohio River trophy catfish permit; prohibit the transportation of live trophy catfish except by boat while in the course of legally fishing; amend KRS 150.990 to make a violation of the prohibition on transporting live trophy catfish a Class A misdemeanor for the first offense and a Class D felony for each subsequent offense.
Who sponsors HB 397?
HB 397 is sponsored by Matthew Lehman (Democrat), Vanessa Grossl (Republican), Kim Banta (Republican), and DJ Johnson (Republican).
What is the current status of HB 397?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced January 15, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB 397?
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Last checked for changes about 2 months ago · updated continuously

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