New laws approved during the Kentucky General Assembly’s 2013 regular session go into effect on June 25.

That means laws against human trafficking will soon be strengthened. More DNA testing will be allowed as evidence in post-conviction felony cases. And school districts can start deciding whether they want to raise their compulsory attendance age to 18, though the 2015-16 school year would be the first year any changes could actually impact students.

The state constitution specifies that new laws take effect 90 days after the adjournment of the legislature, except for general appropriation measures and those containing emergency or delayed effective date provisions.

This year’s regular session adjourned on March 26, making June 25 the day that most laws will take effect.

The laws taking effect that day include measures the following topics:

Child protection. House Bill 290 will establish by statute an independent review panel to investigate cases of child deaths and near-fatal injuries. The panel will be given access to complete records of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, as well as information from law enforcement and other agencies involved in the cases.

Crime. Senate Bill 15, named the Bryan Durman Act in honor of a Lexington police officer who was killed by a hit-and-run driver in 2010, will ensure that a person convicted of criminal homicide in the killing of a police or firefighter on duty doesn’t become eligible for probation or parole until 85 percent of a sentence is served.

DNA testing. HB 41 will allow some felony offenders in prison or under state supervision to request testing and analysis of their DNA as case evidence.

Hemp. SB 50 creates an administrative framework for the growing of hemp in Kentucky if the crop is legalized by the federal government.

Human trafficking. HB 3 will strengthen human trafficking laws while protecting victims from prosecution for crimes they were forced to commit. The legislation will offer assistance to agencies responsible for helping human trafficking victims by creating a “human trafficking victims fund” supported by service fees paid by convicted human traffickers, proceeds from seized and forfeited assets of traffickers, and any grants, contributions, or other funds that may become available.

Proof of insurance. HB 164 will allow people to use electronic insurance cards on their smart phones or other electronic devices as proof of motor vehicle insurance. Drivers will still be required to keep paper insurance cards in their vehicles.

Religious freedom. HB 279 specifies that government shall not burden a person’s freedom of religion. The legislation states that an action motivated by a sincerely held religious belief can not be infringed upon without a compelling governmental interest. (HB 279 was vetoed by the governor; the veto was overridden by the House and Senate.)

Scholarships. SB 64 will ensure that students earning Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarships aren’t penalized in the amount of scholarship money they receive if they graduate from high school in three years rather than four.

School dropouts. SB 97 will allow school districts to increase the compulsory attendance age to 18 beginning in the 2015-16 school year. Districts that do so must have programs and resources in place for students at-risk of not graduating. The increased compulsory attendance age will become mandatory statewide four years after 55 percent of Kentucky school districts adopt it.

Student health. HB 172 will encourage schools to possess at least two epinephrine auto-injectors in case one is needed for a student having a life-threatening allergic or anaphylactic reaction.

Suicide prevention. SB 72 will require attendance at suicide prevention training programs at least once every six years for social workers, marriage and family therapists, professional counselors, fee-based pastoral counselors, alcohol and drug counselors, psychologists, and occupational therapists.

Teacher evaluations. HB 180 will require the Kentucky Board of Education to establish a statewide evaluation system for all certified personnel. The Department of Education, in consultation with teacher and principal steering committees, will develop the system prior to the 2014-2015 school year.

Tuition waivers. SB 95 will extend the five-year tuition waiver eligibility period for adopted children who serve in the military.

Victim protection. HB 222 will establish a crime victim protection program in the Secretary of State’s office to allow domestic violence victims to have personal information, such as addresses, redacted from public voter registration roles. The legislation will also allow victims in the program to vote by mail-in absentee ballot.

An artist's rendering of what the new Adairville city complex could look like.

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Adairville mayor Donna Blake has big plans for the south Logan County city.

She and the city council has had an architectural firm draw up plans for a new complex that would combine the city’s fire house and city hall into one new multi-purpose building.

“We’ve had to re-purpose our old fire department building to get our two firetrucks in and it hard to still get them in,” Blake said.

The city council voted to expand the building once more in order to fit a new tanker truck in, but Blake has decided to hold off on that project until she can see if a brand new building is possible.

“We want to start applying for grants as soon as possible,” Blake said. “Because that’s about the only way we’re going to get this done.”

Blake said she would love to see Adairville get a city complex similar to the one in Greenbriar, Tenn.

“It’s just impressive,” Blake said. “It says ‘we care for our people.’ Every time I drive by there, it just spoke to me.”

So the city had the plans drawn up for the new building.

“We did some things like incorporating the city council chambers as training space for the firemen,” Blake said. “And that space could also be rented out because the way it’s built in the back of the building you can lock everything else down.”

The new building would have a drive-through window for paying water bills and most importantly, would be handicap accessible.

“We want to be able to serve all our people in Adairville,” Blake said. “And the city hall we have right now can’t really do that.”

The project is still in the very beginning stages and may not happen for years yet.

It could cost an estimated $750,000, so finding funding is the next step now that plans have been drawn up.

“We have already started searching for money that is available,” Blake said. “We already have one CDBG (Community Block Development Grant) and that may be where we have to go. But can’t have two at one time.”

The city is currently in the process of applying for a CDBG in order to upgrade and repair the town’s water and sew systems.

“We had to prioritize and going with the infrastructure is a no-brainer,” Blake said. “And we have to get this grant closed out before we can apply for another CDBG.”

Finding a spot to build on is also a necessity.

Blake has been trying to get Houchens Industries to sell back the piece of land it bought beside the current city hall for the purpose of building a grocery store, but later abandoned the idea.

“But they have not responded to an offer yet,” Blake said.