Statement on SB 56 Passing Senate Health & Welfare Committee
Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates In the midst of the youth vaping epidemic in Kentucky and on the heels of recent federal changes to combat it nationally, we applaud Senator Ralph Alvarado for championing Senate Bill 56, which seeks to codify in state law the minimum legal sale age of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, from 18 to 21. We also commend Senator Alvarado in his effort to remove all penalties for youth under age 21 for purchase, use, and possession of tobacco products. E-cigarettes are nicotine-packed products that [...]
Statement on Governor Andy Beshear’s State of the Commonwealth Address
Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates We agree with Governor Andy Beshear that every vulnerable child is a critical priority for all of us. In fact, every child is a critical priority because in every child lies a promise and a potential. Much of what the Governor said this evening in his first state of the Commonwealth address echoes the core foundations of the Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children policy agenda. Emphases on access to the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid supports, criminal justice system reform, the vital [...]
Attorney General Cameron Joins Partners in the Kosair Charities Face It Movement for Press Conference on Child Abuse Prevention and Prosecution
Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org LOUISVILLE, KY (January 7, 2020) – Kentucky has the highest rate of child victims of abuse and more than double the national rate. Today, with partners in the Kosair Charities® Face It® Movement, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron shared his office’s commitment to helping end child abuse in the Commonwealth. “Child abuse exploits the innocence of youth and robs our children of the security and safety they desperately need and deserve. We can no longer accept that the Commonwealth leads the nation in child abuse, and we must do all we can to end [...]
Statement on Leader McConnell Securing Tobacco-Free Youth Act in Federal Fiscal Year 2020 Agreement
Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates We applaud U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for securing the Tobacco-Free Youth Act in the federal Fiscal Year 2020 Agreement to raise the minimum legal sale age of tobacco products across the country, including e-cigarettes, from 18 to 21. This bipartisan legislation, known as Tobacco 21 and sponsored by Leader McConnell and Senator Tim Kaine, would have a profound impact on kids’ health by protecting young people from the dangers of nicotine. Since 2016 there has been a surge in e-cigarette use among Kentucky [...]
Statement on Governor Beshear’s Announcement to Rescind Kentucky’s 1115 Medicaid Waiver
Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates Louisville, KY – Today Governor Andy Beshear signed an executive order to rescind the 1115 Medicaid Waiver, known as Kentucky HEALTH. This rescission further protects families from the potential negative impacts of premiums, work requirements, lockout periods, and classified dental and vision benefits as earned benefits. Parents’ health – and access to health insurance – affects the health and well-being of their children. To that end, any changes that jeopardize parent coverage can have an unintended impact on children. As Kentucky moves forward, we [...]
Statement on Governor-Elect Beshear Announcement on CHFS and Justice Cabinet Secretaries
Today’s announcement of new leadership for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the Justice Cabinet is no small matter for kids in Kentucky. There are perhaps no two positions more vital when it comes to child well-being. We applaud Governor-elect Beshear for naming two outstanding leaders today. We look forward to working with Secretary Mary Noble to enact family-focused reform of the criminal justice system. Thirteen percent of Kentucky kids have had a parent incarcerated, the second highest rate in the nation, which is a shared sentence for kids and their parents. This is an issue that invites [...]
2019 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book: A Holistic Look at Child Well-Being
Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org 502-895-8167 *122 Louisville, KY – The 2019 Kentucky KIDS COUNT County Data Book offers the latest data on 17 measures of child well-being, showing whether outcomes for children across the commonwealth have improved, worsened, or stayed the same over a five-year period. Detailed data is available for every Kentucky county at www.kyyouth.org/kentucky-kids-count/. “More than 1 million children in Kentucky are relying on all of us—from the statehouse to your house—to put them and their futures first. Kids’ issues are the common ground that unite the General Assembly and the Governor’s Mansion,” said Dr. Terry Brooks, executive [...]
Statement from Terry Brooks on CHFS Announcement on Funding to Expand of School-Based Health Services
Contact: Mara Powell 502-895-8167 *122 mpowell@kyyouth.org Statement by Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates Louisville, KY – There can be no question that the Kentucky General Assembly – through the leadership of Senator Wise and Representative Carney, along with a bipartisan cadre of legislative champions – gave Kentucky kids a historic win when it passed Senate Bill 1, the School Safety and Resiliency Act. Ensuring that every Kentucky student is safe and connected at every Kentucky school every day is an ethical imperative for this Commonwealth. We at Kentucky Youth Advocates were impressed at the General Assembly’s attention [...]
Kentucky’s Child Poverty Rate Remains Unchanged, and Too Many Children Continue to Live in High-Poverty Neighborhoods
Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org 502-895-8167 *122 Louisville, KY – New data released today by the U.S Census Bureau reveals that 23.0 percent of Kentucky children lived in poverty in 2018, which is not statistically different than the 2017 rate of 22.4 percent. Only six states have higher child poverty rates than Kentucky. “While the child poverty rate has improved since the end of the Great Recession, we must keep making progress until the families of all one million Kentucky children can earn enough to put food on the table and provide safe and stable housing,” said Dr. Terry Brooks, executive [...]
Health Insurance Coverage for Kentucky Children Has Stagnated but Remains High
Contact: Mara Powell mpowell@kyyouth.org 502-895-8167 *122 Louisville, KY – New health insurance data released today by the U.S. Census Bureau revealed the percent of Kentucky children under 19 with health coverage remained unchanged from 2017 to 2018, at 96.2 percent. This compares with 93.6 percent in 2013 – the year prior to full implementation of the expansion of Kentucky’s Medicaid program. “We’re in the midst of a gubernatorial campaign in which the divisive healthcare policy climate is front and center. And yet, even in the middle of that toxicity, ensuring that kids are covered is one common element on which [...]