Photo credit: capitol.ky.gov

Photo credit: capitol.ky.gov

 

Although this was the first week of March, the snow decided to once again arrive in full force, causing the legislature to cancel session on Thursday and Friday. However, some bills did see movement during the three-day week. With only a few days left of the session, several Blueprint bills are just steps away from becoming a reality for Kentucky kids. Now’s the time to make your voice heard and call your legislators on these important bills for kids!

  • SB 119 sponsored by Senator Julie Raque Adams and HB 301 sponsored by Representative Rita Smart, are companion bills with the exact same language that would ensure school personnel receive information on recognizing the signs of abuse and neglect. HB 301 has passed the House and SB 119 has passed the Senate, but we need one bill to make it all the way through both chambers. This means we need each chamber to step up to help prevent child abuse and consider the other chamber’s bill.  The Senate needs to act on HB 301 and the House needs to act on SB 119. Please help us by contacting your legislators on these bills. Click here to take action on HB 301, and click here to take action on SB 119.
  • HB 8 sponsored by Representative John Tilley and Representative Joni Jenkins, which would extend protective orders to people in dating relationships, passed the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, March 3rd. This was a historic step, as it was the first time this piece of legislation passed a Senate Committee, despite passing out of the full House several times in previous sessions. HB 8 is just steps away from becoming law. Click here to contact your Senator about HB 8.
  • HB 429 would create a child care council to work with stakeholders and state agencies across the state to ensure a strong child care sector in Kentucky. HB 429 passed the full House on Monday, March 2nd and the Senate Health and Welfare Committee on Wednesday, March 4th. It now just needs to pass the full Senate before making its way to the Governor for his signature. Click here to contact your Senator about HB 429.

We thank all of our readers and followers and the hundreds of advocates across the state for taking action on Blueprint bills this session. The Senate and the House will be in session for three days next week, and we hope that they will push these bills forward then. With just a few days left in session, it’s important to take action today! Legislators need to hear from you about these bills, so please contact them and ask them to step up for Kentucky kids.

If you want a daily update on progress, check out our legislative updates page and our action alerts page. To learn more about the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children initiative and priorities, visit www.blueprintky.org.