As we enter April and we look forward to warmer days, Kentucky Youth Advocates is reflecting on another legislative session in the Commonwealth – one that brought wins, missed opportunities, and some puzzling moments for Kentucky kids. Review the recap of the 2025 state legislative session and final status of Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children priorities below and check out ways you can still take action for kids. 

2025 Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children State Policy Wins

With overwhelming bipartisan support, Kentucky lawmakers swiftly addressed a growing concern among Kentucky families – sexual extortion. Senate Bill 73, championed by Senator Raque Adams, includes increased accountability measures for perpetrators of sextortion and includes components to boost awareness among kids and their families through the school system. Governor Beshear solidified the commitment to protecting kids by signing Senate Bill 73 into law. Senate Bill 73 was a 2025 Kosair for Kids Face It Movement Policy Priority. 

Another bill passed with bipartisan support was Senate Bill 100, sponsored by Senator Higdon, to create mechanisms to meaningfully enforce Tobacco-21 law in Kentucky through retail licensing program for tobacco and nicotine products. This effort was supported by youth across the state through testimony, blogs, media stories, and rallies to spread awareness about the dangers of nicotine initiation and the need to protect kids. After years of advocacy to address youth nicotine dependence, we call on Governor Beshear to ensure Senate Bill 100 is fully implemented and encourage advocates to continue monitoring the progress as this bill becomes law. 

After many years of persistent advocacy efforts, Representative Nemes’ House Bill 90, which paves the way for freestanding birth centers in Kentucky, finally became law following an override of Governor Beshear’s veto – due to an unrelated amendment. By removing certificate of need requirements, this bill provides pathways to establish and license freestanding birth centers, offering a safe and equitable alternative to hospital settings for prenatal, delivery, and postpartum care.    

What other bills are wins for Kentucky’s kids and families?

Several other bills crossed the finish line this session with broad bipartisan support and have been signed by Governor Beshear that deserve recognition for the positive impact they’ll have on children and families across the Commonwealth.

Senate Bill 120, championed by Senator Chambers Armstrong, protects student athletes by ensuring that coaches and administrators are trained on their legal responsibility to report suspected child abuse or neglect. The bill also requires student-athlete consent forms to include a reminder of Kentucky’s mandatory reporting law, information on how to report, and affirmation of a student’s right to speak up if they experience or witness harm. Senate Bill 120 was a 2025 Kosair for Kids Face It Movement Policy Priority. 

House Bill 242, sponsored by Representative Heavrin, enhances transparency within Kentucky’s child welfare system. By allowing researchers access to program data—while still safeguarding privacy—this bill supports more informed decision-making and drives improvements that are grounded in evidence and best practices.

Senate Bill 26, sponsored by Senator Storm, helps ensure parents with disabilities are treated fairly in child welfare and family court decisions. The bill prohibits the termination of parental rights, denial of adoption, or relative/fictive kin placement solely based on a disability unless appropriate supportive services are offered and declined. It’s a meaningful step forward in recognizing the caregiving abilities of people with disabilities when they have the support they need.

Finally, Senate Bill 181, sponsored by Senator Tichenor, passed both chambers and has been delivered to the Governor. It strengthens communication safeguards between school personnel and students by requiring the use of traceable platforms, prohibiting personal messaging without written parental consent, and mandating prompt reporting of unauthorized communication. The bill also supports child safety by ensuring that age-appropriate child sexual abuse instruction is allowed in public schools for all grade levels, establishing timelines for locating children at risk of harm, and requiring annual public reporting on relative and fictive kin placements.

Where were the missed opportunities for kids and families?

House Bill 291, and its companion Senate Bill 118, is a Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children priority focused on minimizing the impact of parental incarceration on children that nearly made it to the finish line. It would have:

  • Required courts to consider alternative sentencing options when the individual has committed a non-violent offense and is the primary caregiver to a dependent child. 
  • Promoted rehabilitative options that support the parent-child relationship and improve family stability.
  • Required annual reports on the bill’s implementation and impact to be reported to the General Assembly. 

With over 100,000 kids across the Commonwealth having experienced a parent or caregiver being incarcerated at some point in their lives, this bill would have supported holding parents accountable in ways that promote public safety and minimize the harmful impact on their children. 

Two economic security priorities did not make it across the finish line this legislative session. 

  • Families with an eviction record, even if the case was dismissed, experience lifelong barriers to securing stable housing. House Bill 534 would have promoted family housing stability by making common sense changes to the eviction process to seal filings that do not result in an eviction and prohibit minors from being named on eviction filings. 
  • House Bill 326 would have established standards to protect children and their families from utility disconnection during extreme hot or cold temperatures. 

While there were some significant wins with ensuring compliance with the Tobacco-21 law, we were disappointed that House Bill 187 did not advance. This bill would have directed Juul settlement dollars to address youth nicotine dependence by establishing programming around prevention and cessation support. 

Senate Bill 105 would have promoted safe storage of firearms by requiring gun owners to secure their firearms in a lock box or gun lock when not in use and to report any lost or stolen firearms or ammunition to the police. Injuries from improperly stored firearms is the second leading cause of death among children ages 1-17 in Kentucky, and while we understand that the discussion around firearms draws a lot of attention and discourse, these solutions were pragmatic and warranted further exploration and discussion by the legislature.

What has us scratching our heads? 

It is not uncommon for a legislative session to conclude with some questions that make one scratch their head. Some bills that we heavily supported and really couldn’t quite puzzle out what happened are both related to child abuse and neglect prevention. 

  • House Bill 36, sponsored by Representative Tipton, would have reduced the risk of sexual abuse and exploitation by prohibiting nondisclosure agreements related to misconduct involving minors or students in public, charter, and certified nonpublic schools. It defined abusive conduct, mandated thorough background and reference checks, required investigation of allegations, and established strict employment standards and training on sexual misconduct prevention.
    • The conundrum: This is the third year we have seen this bill filed, the support is bi-partisan and bi-cameral and yet we see another session where the legislature gaveled out without ensuring kids are safer in schools by passing this bill. We call on advocates to help us ensure that more education and dispelling myths is done in the near future with our elected officials. 
  • House Bill 194, known as Kyan’s Law and sponsored by Representative Witten, was adopted as a committee substitute of House Bill 508, and would have required animal control officers to receive training on the recognition of child abuse and neglect. It also includes animal control officers as identified professionals in the list of persons required to report suspected abuse.
    • The conundrum: This is the second year this bill was filed. A similar ordinance in Metro Louisville shows a real benefit to animal control officers and the reporting of abuse and neglect for the sake of kids’ safety, yet our legislature did not get it across the finish line. Advocates must now rally around the need for education of those who protect animals because of the clear link in their shared ability to protect kids. 

And as always, Kentucky Youth Advocates will monitor the implementation of the bills becoming law and encourage advocates to stay informed about the impact on Kentucky kids and families. 

What can you do next? 

  • Join the Blueprint Webinar: Debriefing KYGA25 & Looking Ahead on Tuesday, April 29th at 11:00 AM ET – Attendees will receive a debrief on the 2025 Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children policy priorities and have an opportunity for Q&A, as well as hear how to stay engaged and informed throughout the interim period so that kids’ issues remain at the forefront. Register.
  • Thank your state Senator and Representative for supporting passage of SB 73, SB 100, and HB 90. Look up your legislators and take action.
  • Make a gift to Kentucky Youth Advocates so we can continue this important advocacy work for Kentucky kids.