Today’s passage of House Bill 429 by the Kentucky Senate with a vote of 36-0 will help ensure a strong child care sector in Kentucky. Affordable, reliable child care allows parents to work while their children are cared for in a safe setting, and serves as a critical piece of our local economies. House Bill 429 establishes a child care advisory council to ensure that parents and providers can work with state agencies to ensure a range of high quality child care options in our Commonwealth. This is a budget neutral way to improve Kentucky’s child care sector, which will help our working parents, our local economies, and most importantly, our children.

We thank Senators Julie Raque Adams, Ralph Alvarado, and Danny Carroll for guiding the bill’s passage in the Senate, and to Senate leadership for moving this measure forward. We also thank the bill’s sponsor Representative John Tilley and co-sponsors Representatives Jody Richards and Arnold Simpson for their leadership on this legislation. We thank all Senate members who voted for the bill today and look forward to HB 429 being signed by Governor Beshear.