News Room

Statement on Passage of SB 151 by the Kentucky House

Statement on Passage of SB 151 by the Kentucky House

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Thousands of Kentucky’s kinship and fictive kin families flat out won today with the final passage of Senate Bill 151, championed by Senator Julie Raque Adams, by the Kentucky House. Just as these caregivers step up at a moment’s notice to provide a safe space for their young loved ones to grow and heal, our General Assembly has [...]

By Kentucky Youth Advocates|2024-03-22T11:26:50-04:00March 22nd, 2024|Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, News Room|

Statement on Passage of HB 275 by the Senate Education Committee

Statement on Passage of HB 275 by the Senate Education Committee

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY –Child safety is an adult responsibility – the responsibility of parents, of educators, of our lawmakers. And today, our lawmakers in the Senate Education Committee exemplified that with the advancement of House Bill 275, championed by Representative James Tipton. HB 275 mandates that public schools, charter schools, and certified nonpublic schools cannot enter into nondisclosure agreements regarding misconduct [...]

By Kentucky Youth Advocates|2024-03-21T11:59:44-04:00March 21st, 2024|Child Welfare & Safety, Education, News Room|

Statement on KY Senate 2024 State Budget Proposal

Statement on KY Senate 2024 State Budget Proposal

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – With passage of the biennial state budget proposal by both the Kentucky House and Senate, House Bill 6 as amended will now head into conference committee for negotiations on a final proposal to send to the Governor’s desk. As is often said about budgets – they are more than dollars and cents, they are a value proposition. [...]

By Kentucky Youth Advocates|2024-03-13T19:59:27-04:00March 13th, 2024|Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Medicaid, News Room, Youth Justice|

Statement on Passage of HB 561 by the Senate Families & Children Committee

Statement on Passage of HB 561 by the Senate Families & Children Committee

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Representative Samara Heavrin continues to champion strengthening Kentucky’s child care infrastructure alongside Senator Danny Carroll – and that was evident today with the unanimous passage of House Bill 561 by the Senate Families & Children Committee. HB 561 permanently establishes the Employee Child Care Assistance Partnership (ECCAP) and creates the Certified Child Care Community Designation Program – [...]

By Kentucky Youth Advocates|2024-03-12T12:46:47-04:00March 12th, 2024|Economic Security, Education, News Room|

Statement on Passage of HB 11 by the Kentucky House

Statement on Passage of HB 11 by the Kentucky House

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Kids won today in the Kentucky House when members supported passage of House Bill 11, sponsored by Representative Rebecca Raymer. As youth vaping continues to be a concern among Kentucky families and communities, this bill takes important steps to reduce youth access and limit initiation of addictive nicotine products. Provisions of this bill will provide a more [...]

By Kentucky Youth Advocates|2024-03-11T17:01:12-04:00March 11th, 2024|Education, Health, News Room|

Statement on Passage of HB 377 by the Kentucky House

Statement on Passage of HB 377 by the Kentucky House

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Recruit, retain, quality, qualified. These foci of a strong workforce – especially among our K-12 educator workforce – means a stronger Commonwealth for our kids. We know that the greatest impact on learning for students is having a well-trained educator in the classroom. With Kentucky’s shortage of teachers, it is time to invest in the recruitment and [...]

By Kentucky Youth Advocates|2024-03-08T10:37:12-05:00March 8th, 2024|Bloom Kentucky, Economic Security, Education, News Room|

Statement on Passage of HB 11 by the House Health Services Committee

Statement on Passage of HB 11 by the House Health Services Committee

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates Mallory Jones testifying on HB 11 in Frankfort LOUISVILLE, KY – “It is an adult responsibility to protect kids from the harmful effects of nicotine and keep harmful vaping products out of the hands of me and my peers. I live in a smaller town, and I am aware of multiple different places where my peers can purchase [...]

By Kentucky Youth Advocates|2024-03-08T11:44:37-05:00March 7th, 2024|Education, Health, News Room, Youth Justice|

Statement on Passage of HB 199 by the House LO&AR Committee

Statement on Passage of HB 199 by the House LO&AR Committee

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Maternal health is critical to babies’ birth outcomes and how new mothers fare, and it relies on access to prenatal, delivery, and postpartum care. We appreciate Representative Jason Nemes and the House Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulation Committee for recognizing the need to address gaps in the Commonwealth for equitable access to care with today’s passage of [...]

By Kentucky Youth Advocates|2024-03-06T09:56:12-05:00March 6th, 2024|Bloom Kentucky, Health, News Room, Race Equity|

Statement on Passage of SB 2 by the Senate Education Committee

Statement on Passage of SB 2 by the Senate Education Committee

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – The safety of students as they grow into thriving adults has been an increased concern of the General Assembly for several sessions. It is clear that safety must be defined as far more than simply school discipline or a secured facility. We have to make a commitment to building resilience through proven support systems in behavioral and mental health [...]

By Kentucky Youth Advocates|2024-02-29T12:29:47-05:00February 29th, 2024|Child Welfare & Safety, Education, Health, News Room, Race Equity|

Statement on Passage of SB 151 by the House Families & Children Committee

Statement on Passage of SB 151 by the House Families & Children Committee

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Kinship families – such a growing and important piece of Kentucky's fabric – won today as the House Families and Children Committee advanced Senate Bill 151 under the leadership of Senator Julie Raque Adams. With changes adopted by the committee today, the legislation will grant kinship and fictive kin caregivers 120 days – or upon a qualifying event – to [...]

By Kentucky Youth Advocates|2024-02-29T09:18:17-05:00February 29th, 2024|Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, News Room|