The House Committee on Families and Children is one of the most important groups in the legislature because it focuses on protecting and supporting Kentucky’s most vulnerable people — children, seniors, and families in crisis.
This committee handles issues like child welfare, foster care, and adoption; help for children and adults who are being abused or neglected; guardianship and caregiver support; child support and family preservation programs; child care and assistance for low-income families; senior and aging services; domestic violence shelters, rape crisis centers, and sexual assault programs; and public assistance programs like TANF, CCAP, SNAP, LIHEAP, and WIC. If someone is struggling, a child in danger, a parent trying to make ends meet, or a senior citizen who needs care, chances are the policies that help them start in this committee.
Honoring the Life of Our Most Vulnerable, Braylon’s Law – HB 164 permits courts to finalize an adoption if the child dies during the placement period.
Improving Kentucky’s Child Welfare System – HB 242 permits designated individuals and entities access to confidential information related to child dependency, neglect, and abuse reports for bona fide research, quality improvement, or evaluation projects. This initiative aims to enhance the assessment of best practices and inform evidence-based policy decisions.
Protecting Parental and Adoptive Parental Rights – SB 26 protects parents and prospective adoptive parents with disabilities from discrimination in adoption, parental rights, foster care, and kin placement decisions
Protecting Kentucky Children – SB 181 requires school staff and volunteers to use a traceable communication system for all electronic communications with students and bans the use of personal platforms without written parental consent; requires reporting of unauthorized communications; allows public school districts to develop age-appropriate instruction on child sexual abuse and safe touch; and establishes timelines for locating children at risk of abuse or neglect.
The legislature has a strong record of supporting programs that serve Kentucky’s most vulnerable, but the work is far from done. While we have passed policies to provide financial support and other resources for children in kinship care, the Beshear administration has failed to implement them, despite having more than $23.8 billion in the Cabinet for Health and Family Services budget.
Most recently, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) announced cuts to programs that provide a safety net for Kentucky seniors and families. Both decisions appear to be the result of mismanagement and their efforts to expand programs beyond their original scope. For example, the cabinet’s funding request was nearly $5 million lower than estimates provided by the Area Development Districts, the organizations that administer the senior meal programs. When questioned about it by budget officials, the cabinet assured legislators that their request was sufficient. Yet, despite knowing the programs were facing a shortage, the administration publicly encouraged them to expand and add more recipients. These are unforced errors that could have been avoided through honest and competent leadership. The House Speaker has urged the Governor to find the necessary funding within the CHFS budget, or call the legislature into session so that we can do it ourselves.
Ultimately, we are called to care for our neighbors in times of need. That principle is a cornerstone of the faith that our nation was founded on and that guides our daily lives. Temporary safety nets provide lifelines for individuals and families in times of crisis and should be managed responsibly.
As always, I can be reached anytime through the toll-free message line in Frankfort at 1-800-372-7181. You can also contact me via email at amy.neighbors@kylegislature.gov and keep track through the Kentucky legislature’s website at legislature.
