Contact:
Mara Powell
mpowell@kyyouth.org

Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates

LOUISVILLE, KY – There was good news in last night’s address by Governor Andy Beshear as he joined with Republican legislative leaders in prioritizing basic needs like housing stability and food security for our kids and families. Those two arenas are clearly common ground and are ripe for legislative action as this session unfolds. 

That is a vital opening for a better tomorrow, and the Governor and lawmakers alike need to seize it.

If the Governor and General Assembly want to push for that better future for Kentucky’s kids, then a word that the Governor used a lot needs to be lifted up: Infrastructure. But I’m not talking about facilities for manufacturing. Instead, I am talking about the infrastructure for key systems, like child welfare, juvenile justice, and early education.  

As we continue to dig into the Governor’s proposed executive branch budget, a few examples emerge. A key plank in the child welfare infrastructure is kinship care and those families simply must have enhanced financial supports, and we are hopeful that the commitment will be fulfilled. When it comes to the burgeoning crisis in juvenile justice, rhetoric and hope cannot be substitutes for real dollars targeting efforts from prevention to restoration. And while the bigger and broader goals of early childhood care and education can be debated, what we all know is this – Kentucky families must have better access, better quality, and more affordable places to find care for their youngest children. 

Infrastructure support for emerging businesses is an absolute necessity to grow Kentucky’s economy. But infrastructure support of kid sectors is indispensable as we grow our next Kentucky generation.

The other gaping need that has been met by silence from both the Governor and General Assembly is smart tax policy to mitigate child poverty. With more than one in five Kentucky children mired by poverty, we need proven tax ideas to become a Commonwealth reality. And we know those opportunities exist with bi-partisan support at the national level and in many peer states, including smart ideas like a refundable earned income tax credit for low-income working folks and a dependent tax credit for families with growing children. The most conservative and the most liberal economists testify that these kinds of tax commitments help families to be sure, but also are catalysts to the workforce and local economies. 

As we move towards the important budget building process, let’s hope our Frankfort leaders tackle these pressing issues head on. And, as laid out in the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children 2026 priority agenda, there’s ample opportunity this session to seize meaningful wins for kids.  

It’s often said that a budget is more about priorities and values than dollars and cents. The pending biennial budget will, in fact, demonstrate beyond a doubt the priority and the value that our General Assembly and the Governor place around our children.

Learn more about the 2026 Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children state policy and budget priorities at kyyouth.org/blueprintky/.

###

About Kentucky Youth Advocates
Kentucky Youth Advocates believes all children deserve to be safe, healthy, and secure. As THE independent voice for Kentucky’s children, we work to ensure policymakers create investments and policies that are good for children. Learn more at www.kyyouth.org.