Contact:
Andrea Bennett
abennett@kyyouth.org
(502) 381-1176

Jeffersontown, KY – We celebrate today’s passage of SB 176 by the Kentucky House sponsored by Senator Denise Harper Angel. This important bill for kinship families has now passed both chambers and should soon head to the Governor for his signature.

SB 176 affirms the importance Kentuckians place on family values. It ensures that the 59,000 children in Kentucky being raised by grandparents and other relatives can access fundamental services like health care and educational services when legal guardianship is not feasible. Research shows that children fare better when cared for by relatives compared to foster care with strangers.

We commend Senator Harper Angel, who was raised by her grandmother, for sponsoring this important piece of legislation, and we thank the Kentucky House for passing the bill today. We also thank the Senate for passing the bill out of their chamber last week. SB 176 is a common sense solution that both parties agreed on, and we applaud both chambers for passing it this session. We look forward to the Governor’s signature on this bill and for the positive impact it will have on kinship families in the Commonwealth. We also look forward to working with Senator Harper Angel and all of the many legislators who have championed this effort to take further steps to support kinship families in the state