By Hannah McCarty & Hannah Edelen 

The Bloom Kentucky initiative is focused on statewide policy changes and budget investments that aim to prevent and mitigate the multi-generational impact of childhood adversity so that all kids and families can flourish. 

Bloom Kentucky identified several policy priorities for the 2025 state legislative session to prevent ACEs and address the systemic barriers that families face. 

Here’s a recap of how our 2025 Bloom policy priorities fared: 

  • Enact Caregiver Consideration in Sentencing – Parental incarceration is a known ACE that impacts up to 1 in 10 kids in Kentucky. House Bill 291, sponsored by Representative Wilson, and its companion Senate Bill 118, sponsored by Senator Raque Adams, sought to reduce the harmful impact of parental incarceration on kids and families by requiring courts to consider alternative sentencing options when the individual has committed a non-violent offense and is the primary caregiver to a dependent child. HB 291 successfully passed out of the House, but failed to advance in the Senate. 
  • Ensure Children with Special Needs have Access to Child Care – All children deserve access to quality child care, but many providers across the state have reported difficulties in serving children with disabilities due to limited staff and training. Kentucky can support the development of young children with special needs by requiring training for child care providers and incentivizing programs to serve children with disabilities.  While we did not see any major child care bills advance this session, we anticipate larger conversations to take place during the 2026 legislative session. 
  • Promoting Housing Stability – Families with an eviction record, even if the case was dismissed, experience lifelong barriers to securing stable housing. House Bill 534, sponsored by Representative Witten, would have promoted family housing stability by making common sense changes to the eviction process to seal filings that do not result in an eviction and prohibit minors from being named on eviction filings. We know that housing accessibility is a challenge in Kentucky and across the nation. We hope in future legislative sessions, policymakers will take action on this common-sense support for housing stability. 
  • Establish Utility Standards – When families struggle to afford basic household utilities, children are at higher risk for experiencing negative health outcomes and toxic stress associated with ACEs, such as food insecurity and housing instability. House Bill 326, sponsored by Representative Willner, would have established standards to protect children and their families from utility disconnection during extreme hot or cold temperatures. While this bill would have provided essential protections for Kentuckians, there was limited movement on this common-sense priority. 

This session, there were a few other ACEs-related policies that would have been good for kids and families, including: 

  • House Bill 248, sponsored by Representative Baker, would have required every bill or resolution filed to be assessed for its impact on family stability, economic security/opportunity, and well-being. This bill was introduced but saw no movement. We believe this bill has potential in thoughtfully approaching how state policies can impact kids and families. 
  • Senate Bill 59, sponsored by Senator Higdon, would have created zoning exceptions for religious institutions to develop affordable housing. This bill passed out of the Senate, but failed to advance in the House. We believe this bill has potential for allowing faith-communities to be part of the solution when it comes to stable housing solutions. 

This session, there were quite a few wins for kids and families – read more here. One that we want to highlight includes:

  • House Bill 90, sponsored by Representative Nemes, which paves the way for freestanding birthing centers to expand access to safe prenatal and delivery care. This bill became law following an override of Governor’s Beshear’s veto – due to an unrelated amendment. 

Though the Bloom Kentucky 2025 policy priorities fell short of the finish line, we gained valuable insight, strengthened partnerships, and garnered momentum this session on key issues. We look forward to building upon this momentum as we look to the interim and future legislative sessions. 

Join Bloom Kentucky on May 7th in Shelbyville for the Together We Bloom summit!

This one-day event will bring together community leaders, policymakers, and advocates from across the Commonwealth to focus on cultivating positive childhood experiences through policy and systems change.

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