Contact:
Andrea Bennett
abennett@kyyouth.org
(502) 381-1176

Jeffersontown, KY – Today’s passage of SB 176 by the Senate affirms the importance Kentuckians place on family values. The bill ensures that the 59,000 children in Kentucky being raised by grandparents and other relatives can access fundamental services like health care and education.  Research shows that children fare better when cared for by relatives compared to foster care with strangers.

Many times grandparents, aunts and uncles, and other relatives step in to care for children in their extended family on a temporary basis until the parents can stabilize their living situation. For some relative caregivers, the time, expense, and drama of going to court to get a legal relationship just isn’t feasible.  SB 176 simply ensures that relative caregivers who do not have legal custody or guardianship of children have the ability to enroll them in school or take them to the doctor. This is a common sense solution that doesn’t cost taxpayers a dime.

We commend Senator Harper Angel, who was raised by her grandmother, for sponsoring this important piece of legislation. The passage of SB 176 today represents a step forward to help children currently being raised by relatives in Kentucky. We now encourage members of the House to support the bill.