Contact: Mara Powell 859-496-5524 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates HB 520, sponsored by Chairman John Carney, to allow high quality charter schools has passed the House Education Committee. This bill represents the most significant and fundamental education reform that Kentucky has seen since the enactment of the Kentucky Education Reform Act in 1990. It is especially important to note that HB 520 incorporates important lessons learned from the national [...]

Contact: Mara Powell 859-496-5524 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates We applaud the Kentucky Senate for unanimously passing SB 236, sponsored by Chairwoman Julie Raque Adams, to close the gaps in background checks of adults working with children in schools, youth camps, and in the home as private babysitters. Children deserve to be safe from abuse, and SB 236 would increase the safety of children in the care of adults [...]

Contact: Mara Powell 859-496-5524 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates We thank the Senate for unanimously passing SB 195, sponsored by Senate Judiciary Chair Whitney Westerfield, to help youth who get back on track expunge additional offenses. SB 195 will make youth record expungement more consistent with adult record expungement after passage of HB 40 during the 2016 General Assembly. SB 195 bill will help youth who stay out of [...]

Contact: Mara Powell 859-496-5524 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates We applaud members of the Senate Health and Welfare committee for passing SB 236, sponsored by Chairwoman Julie Raque Adams, to close the gaps in backgrounds checks of adults working with children in schools, youth camps, and in the home as private babysitters. Kentucky kids deserve to grow and thrive free from abuse and neglect, and they depend on adults [...]

Contact: Mara Powell 859-496-5524 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates HB 180, sponsored by Chair of the House Health and Family Services Committee Representative Addia Wuchner, has had its final vote and is now headed to the Governor’s desk. The Senate unanimously passed the bill, which would allow close family friends to serve as kinship caregivers. Close family friends can provide a vital safety net when a child must be [...]

Contact: Mara Powell 859-496-5524 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates Jeffersontown, KY – The Cabinet for Health and Family Services recently presented on a federal report of Kentucky’s child welfare system’s outcomes. The report findings are about neither former Governor Steve Beshear nor Governor Matt Bevin. It is about a system that needs a revolution and not a tweak. It reminds us that we cannot wait any longer if we [...]

Contact: Mara Powell 859-496-5524 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates We applaud the Kentucky Senate for passing SB 120, sponsored by Senator Whitney Westerfield, with broad bipartisan support. SB 120 seeks to get adults who have served their time, including many parents, the opportunity to get back to work to support their families. Over 1 in 10 children in Kentucky have experienced parental incarceration, which is the highest rate in the [...]

Contact: Mara Powell 859-496-5524 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates We thank the Senate Judiciary Committee for passing SB 195, sponsored by Chairman Whitney Westerfield, to allow youth to expunge additional offenses. The expungement process would also be automatic in some cases, which helps young people who don't have the resources or support to seek expungement. When kids get back on track, we must help them be prepared to succeed [...]

Contact: Mara Powell 859-496-5524 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates We thank the Senate Judiciary Committee for passing SB 20, sponsored by Chairman Whitney Westerfield, to respond effectively to children who get in trouble. The youth justice system is a maze that has too many entrances and too few ways out. SB 20 seeks to make adjustments to the youth justice reforms made in 2014 to better hold youth accountable, [...]

Contact: Mara Powell 859-496-5524 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates We applaud the Senate Judiciary Committee for passing SB 120, sponsored by Chairman Whitney Westerfield, to give adults who have served their time the opportunity to get back to work and care for their children. Kentucky has the highest rate in the nation of children who have experienced a parent being incarcerated, and SB 120 will help limit the negative [...]