Contact:
Mara Powell
mpowell@kyyouth.org

Statement from Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates

LOUISVILLE, KY – With passage of the biennial state budget proposal by both the Kentucky House and Senate, House Bill 6 as amended will now head into conference committee for negotiations on a final proposal to send to the Governor’s desk. As is often said about budgets – they are more than dollars and cents, they are a value proposition. And there’s no question that our General Assembly put state dollars where their heart is when it comes to supporting kinship caregivers, boosting investments in the child care infrastructure, and in areas of K-12 education. 

In the Senate’s proposal, we were encouraged to see a number of commitments to Kentucky’s kids and families, including: 

  • An allocation for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) income exclusion for child care providers – a program that Kentucky was the first in the nation to implement – as a way for centers to attract teaching staff as an added benefit. There is also an allocation to assist families in a six-month transition off of CCAP once they hit the income threshold to avoid an abrupt cliff of supports, funds to cover the cost of background checks for child care providers, and funds for the Innovations in Early Childhood Education Delivery Fund, as outlined in Senator Danny Carroll’s Horizons Act. 
  • A Medicaid rate increase for behavioral health therapy services – the first increase in many years and a much-needed boost to encourage providers to serve Medicaid eligible children. There is an additional much-needed rate increase for Medicaid dental services.
  • For the K-12 arena, an investment in the student-teacher pipeline by allocating funds for the Student Teacher Stipend Program, as outlined in Representative Kim Banta’s House Bill 377, as well as an increase in the per-pupil SEEK funding for school districts. 
  • A significant boost in funds for Center for School Safety to ensure components of Senate Bill 2 are implemented. That allocation includes increased discretionary funding for schools to invest in a range of mental health supports from staff to programming. A noteworthy commitment to ensure the safe and supportive schools envisioned in the landmark School Safety and Resiliency Act are realized. 
  • A maintained allocation for the Rural Housing Trust Fund – which provides quality and affordable financing for Kentuckians to create a path to stable housing and home ownership – and significant investment in Lexington’s Transformational Housing Affordability Partnership.
  • Maintained from the House proposal, a significant rate increase for Relative Caregiver placement and sustained investment in the critically important one-time relative placement support benefit.
  • Maintained from the House proposal, an investment in a permanent Summer EBT program, in which an estimated 600,000 Kentucky kids will be eligible for grocery money during the summertime. 

Now as the General Assembly contends with crafting the final biennial state budget, we carry hopes and concerns. And questions. As examples:

  • How can a budget feature an unprecedented level of physical infrastructure and it not go all in on the most pressing infrastructure element at play – child care? Kentucky must invest in the child care infrastructure so families can access affordable, quality centers in their communities while also maintaining allocations for the Child Care Assistance Program so families don’t lose eligibility for that vital support. That means the final state budget must fully invest in CCAP with the family eligibility level at 85% of the State Median Income. To meet federal regulation, the state budget must also boost CCAP funds to reimburse based on centers’ enrollment numbers rather than daily attendance.
  • How will we ever turn the tide on juvenile justice without investments that address root causes? It is absolutely commendable that the Senate proposal maintains the critical House investment in medical services and supports, including physical and mental health, for kids in juvenile detention facilities and ensuring unused funds for diversion programs can be carried forward. Additionally, the investments in building, renovating, and retrofitting the detention centers – as a result of 2023 legislation and subsequent reports outlining critical deficiencies – can help ensure those buildings are safe and secure for youth and staff. And yet, the Senate proposal totally misses an opportunity to invest in responses that improve public safety by reducing funds for alternatives to detention when that is the exact commitment that can be a gamechanger.
  • Why not really tackle housing? Investments in regional affordable housing efforts are worth celebrating. However, given the flood of families all across Kentucky struggling to find safe, affordable housing, we cannot wait for another budget cycle for an investment in the Affordable Housing Trust Fund. This is a commendable first step but it does not come close to meeting the genuine crisis at hand. It’s important to especially note the ROI of tackling this issue as a targeted investment pays off in areas ranging from workforce to crime.
  • Are we serious about kids’ health? Kentucky kids are in the midst of a new epidemic – vaping. And while proactive bills have been filed in both the House and Senate to allocate JUUL settlement dollars to prevention and cessation programming, the base funding for these programs within the state budget must see a substantial increase. If we are to curb that vape explosion and help kids on this issue, then real dollars are non negotiable.

Ten days remain. And as the budget winds its way through the final processes, we will soon learn the answer to the most important question at hand: WILL THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY PUT ITS MONEY WHERE ITS RHETORIC IS WHEN IT COMES TO KENTUCKY’S KIDS?

Stay up-to-date on Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children priorities and other bills that are good for kids on our Kentucky General Assembly Bill Tracker.

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About Kentucky Youth Advocates
Kentucky Youth Advocates believes all children deserve to be safe, healthy, and secure. As THE independent voice for Kentucky’s children, we work to ensure policymakers create investments and policies that are good for children. Learn more at www.kyyouth.org.