Kentucky SB 141: AN ACT relating to medical review panels. Amend KRS 216C.020 to allow tolling of the nine-month timeframe; amend KRS 216C.040 to provide an additional fee for out-of-state defendants; amend KRS 216C.050 to specify procedures for service on an out-of-state defendant; amend KRS 216C.070 to allow removal of attorneys from the list of potential panel members; amend KRS 216C.090 to provide a timeline for panel selection; amend KRS 216C.160 to authorize the panel chairperson to allow other forms of discovery; amend KRS 216C.190 to allow tolling of the nine-month timeline; amend KRS 216C.220 to clarify procedures for payment of the panel if the case ends before the panel renders an opinion; amend KRS 216C.240 to allow a court to dismiss an action; amend various sections of KRS Chapter 216C to clarify timelines.

Bill Text

UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS SB 141/GA
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SB014110.100 - 1938 - XXXX 2/17/2026 5:00 PM GA
AN ACT relating to legal advertisements. 1
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2
Section 1. KRS 424.110 is amended to read as follows: 3
As used in KRS 424.110 to 424.370: 4
(1) "Advertisement" means any matter required by law to be published; 5
(2) "Publication area" means the city, county, district, or other local area for which an 6
advertisement is required by law to be made. An advertisement shall be deemed to 7
be for a particular city, county, district, or other local area if it concerns an official 8
activity of the city, county, district, or other area or of any governing body, board, 9
commission, officer, agency, or court thereof, or if the subject of the advertisement 10
concerns particularly the people of the city, county, district, or other area; 11
(3)[(2)] "Published statement of ownership" means the current United States Postal 12
Service Form PS 3526, or successor form, filed by a print newspaper with the 13
United States Postal Service on or before October 1 of each year[ "Advertisement" 14
means any matter required by law to be published]; and 15
(4)[(3)] "Zoned edition" means a newspaper edition published at least once a week, 16
distributed in a specific geographic region of the newspaper's circulation area, and 17
containing reporting and advertising of interest to subscribers in that geographic 18
region. 19
Section 2. KRS 424.120 is amended to read as follows: 20
(1) Except as provided in subsections (2) and (4) of this section, if an advertisement for 21
a publication area is required by law to be published in a newspaper, the publication 22
shall be made in a newspaper that meets the following requirements: 23
(a) It shall be published in the publication area. A newspaper shall be deemed to 24
be published in the area if it maintains an[its principal] office in the area for 25
the purpose of gathering news and soliciting advertisements and other general 26
business of newspaper publications, and has a periodicals class mailing permit 27

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issued for that office. A newspaper published outside of Kentucky shall not be 1
eligible to carry advertisements for any county or publication area within the 2
county, other than for the city in which its main office is located, if there is a 3
newspaper published in the county that has a substantial general circulation 4
throughout the county and that otherwise meets the requirements of this 5
section; 6
(b) It shall be of regular issue and have a bona fide circulation in the publication 7
area. A newspaper shall be deemed to be of regular issue if it is published at 8
least once a week, for at least fifty (50) weeks during the calendar year as 9
prescribed by its mailing permit, and has been so published in the area for the 10
immediately preceding two (2) year period. A newspaper meeting all the 11
criteria to be of regular issue, except publication in the area for the 12
immediately preceding two (2) year period, shall be deemed to be of regular 13
issue if it is the only qualified paper in the county. A newspaper shall be 14
deemed to be of bona fide circulation in the publication area if it is circulated 15
generally in the area, and maintains a definite price or consideration not less 16
than fifty percent (50%) of its published price, and is paid for by not less than 17
fifty percent (50%) of those to whom distribution is made; 18
(c) It shall bear a title or name, consist of not less than four (4) pages without a 19
cover, and be of a type to which the general public resorts for passing events 20
of a political, religious, commercial, and social nature, and for current 21
happenings, announcements, miscellaneous reading matter, advertisements, 22
and other notices. The news content shall be at least twenty-five percent 23
(25%) of the total column space in more than one-half (1/2) of its issues 24
during any twelve (12) month period; 25
(d) If, in a publication area there is more than one (1) newspaper which meets the 26
above requirements, the newspaper that produces and distributes a printed 27

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edition that is circulated within the publication area and is available for 1
paid public subscription or purchase shall be[having the largest bona fide 2
paid circulation as shown by the average number of paid copies of each issue 3
as shown in its published statement of ownership as filed on October 1 for the 4
publication area shall be] the newspaper where advertisements required by 5
law to be published shall be carried. If two (2) or more printed newspapers 6
serve the same publication area, the required advertisements shall be 7
published in the newspaper that has the highest total number of paid 8
subscribers, determined by ad