FacebookInstagramXYouTubeEmail

Wins & Missed Opportunities for Kids in the 2022 General Assembly

The final gavel has fallen for the 2022 Kentucky General Assembly! This year, the Governor and the Kentucky General Assembly were tasked with crafting a two-year state budget, tackle redistricting, advance policies to address the COVID-19 pandemic, tax reform, and other policy priorities that would be good for the communities they represent and the Commonwealth. If we take a second to reflect, that’s a heavy lift in a long 60-day session. There was good news [...]

By |2022-04-20T16:29:28-04:00April 20th, 2022|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
Read More

Update on Priorities for Kids in the Final Days of KYGA22

The 2022 Kentucky General Assembly has wrapped up Day 58 of the 60-day legislative session and there are many key Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children wins to already celebrate. These priority bills have passed the Kentucky House and Senate and have been delivered to the Governor: Senate Bill 8 to strengthen points of the child welfare system, from child maltreatment prevention to investigation to healing and out-of-home care – signed by the Governor! Senate Bill 97 [...]

By |2022-04-06T09:42:03-04:00March 31st, 2022|Blog, Bloom Kentucky, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
Read More

Statement on Passage of HB 318 by the Senate Health & Welfare Committee

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director, Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – The wrong-headed proposal by Representative Kevin Bratcher and advanced by the Kentucky House unfortunately received passage by the Senate Health and Welfare Committee today. The rhetoric around House Bill 318 is that it will address “rising rates of violent juvenile offenders.” Yet, that rationale is based on politics and not reality. It not only sends hollow, fearmongering echoes to constituents, [...]

By |2022-03-28T17:34:13-04:00March 28th, 2022|News Room, Youth Justice|
Read More

Statement on Passage of SB 102 by House Education & Additional School Safety Efforts

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director, Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – Today, we are celebrating the unanimous passage of Senate Bill 102 by the House Education Committee to help ensure there is an adequate number of mental health providers in schools to serve students in need of supports. We thank Senator Max Wise for championing this measure and the Committee for ensuring its passage today. During this time of heightened [...]

By |2022-03-17T11:24:37-04:00March 16th, 2022|Bloom Kentucky, Education, News Room, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
Read More

Statement on KY House Passage of HB 318 to Roll Back Successful Juvenile Justice Reforms

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director, Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – The Kentucky House has built a solid legacy of supporting kids. Whether it is around child welfare reform, K-12 accountability, budget investments, or trauma-informed care, the House is always there for our children. That is why its passage of House Bill 318 is so confusing and so disappointing. Kentucky Youth Advocates fully supports the need to ensure public safety and [...]

By |2022-03-14T16:23:42-04:00March 14th, 2022|News Room, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
Read More

Statement on Passage of House Bill 318 by House Judiciary Committee

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director, Kentucky Youth Advocates LOUISVILLE, KY – An effective system of juvenile justice seeks two primary goals: public safety and rehabilitating youth who have broken the law, which is fundamental to public safety. A recent independent evaluation of changes to diversion practices in Kentucky found that policies resulting from Senate Bill 200 of 2014 has kept kids out of the system, and crucially, they did not return [...]

By |2022-03-09T15:24:43-05:00March 9th, 2022|News Room, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
Read More

Celebrating the 2022 Champions for Children

Elected leaders and advocates step up for Kentucky kids in countless ways every day, especially in Frankfort throughout the legislative session. During Children’s Advocacy Week, Kentucky Youth Advocates and partners in the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children present Champion for Children and Step Up for Kids awards to honor those state leaders and advocates for their efforts. At this year’s Rally for Kentucky Kids, we honored several members of the 2022 Kentucky General Assembly for [...]

By |2022-01-28T11:33:35-05:00January 20th, 2022|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
Read More

OP-ED: A New Year’s resolution for the Kentucky General Assembly

This post originally appeared as an op-ed in the Courier Journal on January 2, 2022. By Dr. Terry Brooks This time of year, we all waver between setting New Year’s resolutions and simply dismissing the process as an inevitable failure. (Really?  No snacks after 8 p.m.?  I’m going to learn a new hobby?  And, of course, I’ll be at the gym by 6 a.m. at least four mornings a week!) But “Psychology Today” lists several reasons why setting [...]

By |2024-04-25T12:29:29-04:00January 3rd, 2022|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, Kids Count, News Room, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
Read More

November 2021 Update on the KY Commission on Race and Access to Opportunity

Read about the October meeting of the Commission on Race and Opportunity here.  At the last meeting of 2021 for the Commission on Race and Access to Opportunity, Kentucky Youth Advocates (KYA) was given the opportunity to testify around the 2021 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book and solutions to advance racial equity in the Commonwealth. We highlighted two policy arenas – Health and Family and Community - that we hope can move legislative and community leaders from simply reading data on a [...]

By |2021-12-09T15:52:21-05:00December 9th, 2021|Blog, Economic Security, Health, Medicaid, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
Read More

Announcing the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children 2022 State Policy and Budget Priority Agenda

Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org Announcing the Blueprint for Kentucky's Children 2022 State Policy and Budget Priorities Agenda Louisville, KY – Today, Kentucky Youth Advocates and partners from across the Commonwealth are launching the Blueprint for Kentucky's Children 2022 state policy and budget priorities agenda. The Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children is a coalition of non-profit, public, and private organizations that stands on three pillars: thriving communities launch strong families, strong families launch successful kids, and successful kids launch a [...]

By |2021-12-08T08:59:19-05:00December 8th, 2021|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Economic Security, Education, Health, Justice, News Room, Race Equity, Youth Justice|
Read More
Go to Top