Statement on HB 22 Passing House Education Committee
Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates Corporal punishment does not create a more orderly learning environment. It does not change behavior. What it does do is traumatize kids, and it actually creates school climates that are less orderly and disciplined. That is why we so enthusiastically commend the House Education Committee for its courageous step today in passing House Bill 22, sponsored by Representative Steve Riley, to eliminate the use of corporal punishment in schools. While the vast majority of Kentucky school districts are shifting their focus to how [...]
Statement on SB 45 Passing Kentucky Senate
Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates With many Kentucky children spending a majority of their day in early childhood programs, parents and providers alike agree on the importance of a nurturing and healthy child care environment. Today, the Kentucky Senate honored that idea by supporting Senate Bill 45, sponsored by Senator Danny Carroll, which seeks to strengthen licensed child care center standards on healthy eating and drinking, active playtime, and limited screen time to support kids’ learning and healthy development. We thank Senator Carroll for championing this measure and [...]
Statement on SB 87 Passing Senate Judiciary Committee
Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates Kentucky is a leader in youth justice system reforms in many ways, but there are some practices still in use that we now know do not achieve the best outcomes for kids or communities. Just as a bicycle works best when it uses the right gear for the terrain, our juvenile justice system should use different responses for different situations. The Commonwealth has been stuck in a single gear when it comes to the mandatory transfer of youth to adult court for certain [...]
Statement on SB 40 Passing Senate Health and Welfare Committee
Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates The Commonwealth has made strides in child welfare system reforms, but when it comes to protecting kids from abuse, we have a long way to go. That’s why Senate Bill 40 is so important – it closes fault lines in the system to protect children in foster care from harm and does so in a direct and pragmatic way. Today, the Senate Health and Welfare Committee demonstrated their support for SB 40, sponsored by Chairman Ralph Alvarado. This safety measure will close the [...]
Statement on SB 45 Passing Senate Health and Welfare Committee
Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates All kids, no matter where they grow up or receive child care, deserve healthy food and time for active play. Today, the Senate Health and Welfare Committee honored that need by supporting Senate Bill 45, sponsored by Senator Danny Carroll. With many Kentucky children spending a majority of their day in early childhood programs, SB 45 seeks to strengthen licensed child care center standards on healthy eating and drinking, active playtime, and limited screen time to support kids’ learning and healthy development. While [...]
Statement on Governor Andy Beshear’s 2020 Budget Address
Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates “A better today for our families and a better tomorrow for our children.” That is how Governor Andy Beshear opened his budget address. The critical question tonight is clear – do the finite fiscal details match that lofty vision? An immediate reaction to any budget address – including this one – should be tempered with the need for an in-depth analysis. That does not preclude some initial thinking, and as I consider what Kentuckians heard from the Governor tonight, key takeaways include the [...]
Statement on SB 56 Passing Kentucky Senate
Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates With the vaping epidemic impacting so many Kentucky kids, we applaud Senator Ralph Alvarado for championing Senate Bill 56 and ensuring the Commonwealth complies with the new federal Tobacco-21 law, and we thank the Kentucky Senate for demonstrating their supporting today. This measure seeks to codify in state law a minimum legal sale age of 21 for tobacco products, including e-cigarettes. We also commend Senator Alvarado for working to remove all penalties for youth under age 21 for purchase, use, and possession of tobacco [...]
Governor Beshear, Lt. Governor Coleman, President Stivers, Speaker Osborne, and Other Elected Leaders Join Hundreds of Youth and Advocates for the 16th Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol
Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org 502-895-8167 *122 FRANKFORT, KY – Hundreds of Kentuckians from across the Commonwealth, including dozens of children and youth, are convening in Frankfort today for the 16th annual Children’s Advocacy Day at the Capitol. They are urging elected leaders to support the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children, a unified agenda for child advocates across the state. “Today, youth, social workers, faith leaders, teachers, pediatricians, child care providers, community leaders, and many others unite to ask our state leaders to make Kentucky children a priority during the 2020 legislative session. Kids’ issues are the common ground in which our elected leaders can make [...]
Statement on Beshear Administration’s Court Petition on Kentucky’s System of Pretrial Release
Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates In Kentucky, 13 percent of children have had a parent separated from them due to incarceration – the 2nd highest rate in the nation. Parental incarceration not only causes instability and trauma for children, but also creates a heavy financial burden for the family left behind from loss of income and any accumulating legal fines and fees. Children experiencing parental incarceration need an effective system of justice that will hold their parents accountable and reserve incarceration for those who pose a flight risk or [...]
Statement on Mayor Fischer Lawsuit Against E-cigarette Maker Juul
Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates Louisville, KY – Kids in Louisville have always been able to count on Mayor Greg Fischer as a leader with a heart and a backbone. He and Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell showed their commitment to kids again today by joining a landmark lawsuit against Juul, the United States’ largest manufacturer of e-cigarettes. The powerfully negative impact that Juul and other companies in the e-cigarette market have had on young people in Louisville and across Kentucky is pernicious and pervasive. And, their profiteering [...]