Gov. Beshear Signs Legislation Requiring Coverage for Mental Health Conditions, Eating Disorders and More; Allows Two Bills To Lapse

House Bills 169 and 178, Senate Bill 122, SJR 139 signed; House Bills 6 and 480 lapse

FRANKFORT, Ky. (April 13, 2026) - Today, Gov. Andy Beshear signed House Bills 169 and 178 to enhance coverage for Kentuckians suffering from mental health conditions or eating disorders. The Governor also signed Senate Joint Resolution 139 and let House Bills 6 and 480 lapse, providing insight into each decision. He also gave an update for Kentuckians on the signing of Senate Bill 122, which creates alternate sentencing options for nonviolent offenders who are primary caregivers and revises the state's outdated involuntary hospitalization statute.

"Mental health is just as important as physical health, and Kentuckians deserve to know that cost should not be a barrier to getting the help needed," said Gov. Beshear. "Even more, we must raise awareness and options for those suffering from eating disorders in Kentucky, which have the highest mortality rate of any mental health disorder. It's okay to not be okay - and we're committed to letting our neighbors know that they are not alone and that help is available."

House Bill 169 requires health plans to cover the costs associated with the diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders and prohibits insurers from using body mass index as the sole standard for coverage denial.

House Bill 178 defines a psychiatric collaborative care model in Kentucky that seeks to provide reimbursement and coverage for mental health treatments.

Senate Bill 122 requires the court to take into consideration whether nonviolent defendants are a caretaker of a dependent child in sentencing proceedings and updates the involuntary hospitalization statute to protect the rights of Kentuckians with mental illnesses.

"As long as our children are safe and healthy, they should have the option to stay with their primary caregiver if that individual is a nonviolent offender," said the Governor. "Senate Bill 122 will create alternate sentencing to help keep these families together - which benefits everyone. The bill also updates a nearly 50-year-old statute on involuntary hospitalization, incorporating insight from mental health providers for best practices to ensure Kentuckians with serious mental illness are better cared for and their rights are respected."

Gov. Beshear also signed Senate Joint Resolution 139 on Monday, which directs the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to designate honorary names for various roads and bridges. The Governor acknowledged that while Charlie Kirk was tragically killed, the names of roads and bridges across our commonwealth should only be for Kentuckians. Despite the inclusion of Kirk, who is not a native of Kentucky, the Governor chose to sign the legislation to honor the Kentuckians listed, including Tech. Sgt. Ashley Pruitt, who sacrificed everything to protect her country.

The Governor let two pieces of legislation lapse with House Bills 6 and 480.

"I am not signing House Bill 6, because while it's referred to as a child care omnibus bill, it does not meet the moment. More than 20,000 of Kentucky's 54,000 4-year-olds are not in child care due to lack of availability or because it's too expensive - yet this bill only creates up to 240 slots in 10 'micro-centers'," said Gov. Andy Beshear. "I'm also not signing House Bill 480, because it's unnecessary legislation, filed for the third-straight year, that tries to prevent the flexibility our Finance and Administration Cabinet needs to deal with changing circumstances. The bill is a solution in search of a problem that does not exist."

Other 2026 Bill Signings
Last week, Gov. Beshear signed several bills to increase safety across the commonwealth including House Bill 5, which provides the framework to create Kentucky's first reentry campus; House Bill 7, which increases safety for students on school buses; and Senate Bill 102, which supports retired Kentucky State Police. He also signed House Bill 4, establishing the offense of grooming to protect Kentucky children; House Bill 134, formalizing the role of a statewide Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, or SANE, coordinator; House Bill 521, which enhances Kentucky's stalking laws; and House Bill 778, increasing child welfare protections.

During this session, the Governor has signed legislation supporting different areas of health care including House Bill 393, House Bill 510 and Senate Bill 97, as well as legislation aimed at lowering mortgage and utility costs with Senate Bill 57 and Senate Bill 157. The Governor also signed House Bill 307 to create a proactive admissions program to streamline the application process for students seeking postsecondary and House Bill 642 to increase the amount a retired teacher can earn during reemployment.

On Good Friday, Gov. Beshear signed several bills to better support Kentuckians with special needs and their families: Senate Bill 69, Senate Bill 85 and House Bill 562. On April 2, the Governor signed "Logan's Law" into law with the father of Logan Tipton by his side. The legislation will strengthen Kentucky's sentencing and parole laws to increase safety.

In March, Gov. Beshear signed several bills to support education and safety for Kentuckians. These pieces of legislation included Senate Bill 2, directing school districts to not increase administrator pay greater than the percentage pay increase provided to classroom teachers; Senate Bill 5 encouraging schools to purchase locally grown food; Senate Bill 46, which makes changes to student transportation for increased safety; and House Bill 657, which protects consumers by requiring national and state background checks for specialty providers.

He also signed Senate Bill 145 related to regulations for the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, and signed Senate Bill 11 into law, establishing a residential safe room rebate program and fund to protect eligible Kentuckians from severe weather.

In February, Gov. Beshear signed Senate Bill 172, which helped lower the cost of utilities for Kentucky families.

The Governor also stood with Kentucky public schools in March and vetoed House Bill 1. Click here for the full veto message.

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