Contact: Andrea Bennett 502-381-1176 abennett@kyyouth.org Statement by Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates We applaud the Kentucky House today for passing HB 380 to make the Uniform Residential Landlord Tenant Act (URLTA) cover all Kentucky communities. This bill will promote safe and stable housing for families while also protecting responsible landlords. Thank you to all members who voted for the bill today and to Representative Jim Glenn for sponsoring.

Contact: Andrea Bennett 502-381-1176 abennett@kyyouth.org Statement by Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates Given tough budget economic times, there are several needs children and families face on a daily basis, and we know the state budget impacts children in a number of ways. However, one of greatest needs is ensuring parents have opportunities to work in order to provide for their families. The Child Care Assistance Program is one of the key ways [...]

Contact: Andrea Bennett 502-381-1176 abennett@kyyouth.org Statement by Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates Kentucky children deserve the safest environment in which to learn. SB 194 strengthens the safety of children at public schools. While public schools already conduct criminal background checks, many substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect are not prosecuted criminally for a variety of reasons. SB 194 brings public schools in line with what child care and child caring agencies [...]

Contact: Andrea Bennett 502-381-1176 abennett@kyyouth.org Statement by Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates Transparency can be an important aspect of child welfare and court systems but it must result in better outcomes for children and the system as a whole. We applaud Senator Julie Raque Adams for sponsoring SB 40 to create a pilot project to open courts in child welfare cases. This is an opportunity to start small and evaluate the impact [...]

Contact: Andrea Bennett 502-381-1176 abennett@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates Some 2 out of 3 Kentucky 4th graders do not meet national standards for reading, and 7 out of 10 Kentucky 8th graders do not meet national standards in math. Those kind of results highlight the need for a fundamental reform of public education in the Commonwealth. SB 1 delivers that fundamental reform. SB 1 places a priority on learning [...]

Contact: Andrea Bennett 502-381-1176 abennett@kyyouth.org Statement by Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates When it comes to the child welfare and court systems, transparency has merit, but it must result in better outcomes for the children affected. That's why we support SB 40, sponsored by Senator Julie Raque Adams to create a pilot project to open courts in child welfare cases. This is an opportunity to start small and learn from that opening [...]