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Statement on Passage of HB 3 (Human Trafficking) in Kentucky Legislature

Marylee Underwood, staff attorney, Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs "Today is a great day for Kentucky's kids! By unanimously passing the Human Trafficking Victims Rights Act, Kentucky legislators sent a clear message that modern day slavery has no place in this state. Victims of trafficking, especially children exploited in commercial sex, will be treated as victims rather than as criminals and be given access to healing services. Law enforcement will be more equipped to [...]

By |2013-03-12T15:29:37-04:00March 12th, 2013|News Room|
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Statement on Passage of HB 3 (Human Trafficking) in Senate

Marylee Underwood, staff attorney, Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs Today’s vote of HB 3 by the Kentucky Senate represents a fine example of our elected leaders working across party lines in the best interest of our vulnerable youth. Human trafficking legislation is now just a few steps away from becoming law. HB 3 ensures that child victims of human trafficking receive the services they need, rather than being detained or prosecuted. Not only does [...]

By |2013-03-07T23:51:11-05:00March 7th, 2013|News Room|
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Statement on Passage of HB 290 (Child Fatality Review Panel) in Senate

The Senate stood strong for Kentucky kids today, passing HB 290 to create a child fatality review panel. Senator Denton and primary cosponsors Representative Burch and Representative Wayne are to be commended for this strong bipartisan effort to make sure Kentucky's most vulnerable kids are safe. The bill puts into law a panel that can make a real difference in the battle against child abuse by ensuring we know what is working and what isn’t. [...]

By |2013-03-07T23:20:42-05:00March 7th, 2013|News Room|
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Statement on Passage of HB 3 in Senate Judiciary Committee

Marylee Underwood, staff attorney, Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs “We applaud the Kentucky Senate Judiciary Committee for taking action on human trafficking and passing House Bill 3 out of committee today. This bill will ensure that child victims get the services they need to heal and provide better resources for law enforcement officers and prosecutors. We especially appreciate the amendments offered by Chairman Whitney Westerfield and Senator Katie Stine that will further strengthen the [...]

By |2013-03-07T13:01:44-05:00March 7th, 2013|News Room|
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Now is the Time for Kentucky to Pass Human Trafficking Legislation

The following post first appeared as a Reader Letter in the Courier Journal on March 6, 2013 here. Note: Human trafficking legislation sailed through the House but needs help passing the Senate.  Human trafficking is a very real problem in Kentucky, and our legislature is poised to pass safe harbor legislation to combat this horrific crime. We cannot let this opportunity pass us by. So what is the scope of human trafficking in Kentucky and why is safe [...]

By |2013-03-06T11:52:13-05:00March 6th, 2013|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Youth Justice|
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Statement on Passage of HB 290 – Child Fatality Review Panel – in Senate Health and Welfare Committee

A critical piece of legislation for children – the establishment of a review panel on child fatalities and near fatalities through HB 290 – moved one step closer to becoming law today. This measure – championed by Senator Denton and Representatives Burch and Wayne – will make a real difference in protecting children from dying due to abuse and neglect. It will provide a means to assess what we are doing well and how we [...]

By |2013-03-06T11:09:47-05:00March 6th, 2013|News Room|
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Another Hearing for Smoke-Free Kentucky

As a student in the University Of Louisville’s School Of Public Health, we often discuss methods to reduce behaviors that are harmful to health and increase wellness at the community level. We discuss strategies such as increasing sidewalk safety to promote exercise, the placement of healthy foods in school cafeterias to promote nutrition, reducing the spread of communicable diseases to promote wellness, and yes, we discuss reducing tobacco use in Kentucky-- a lot. Tobacco use [...]

By |2013-02-28T16:07:34-05:00February 28th, 2013|Blog, Health|
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Youth Incarceration on the Decline: Kentucky Still Confining Too Many Youth for Behaviors that Aren’t a Risk to Public Safety

The national rate of locking up young people in trouble with the law dropped by more than 40 percent over a 15-year period, with no decreases in public safety, according to a new report released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation today. The KIDS COUNT Data Snapshot indicates that the number of young people in correctional facilities in the United States on a single day fell to 70,792 in 2010, from a high of 107,637 [...]

By |2013-02-27T12:46:33-05:00February 27th, 2013|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety, Youth Justice|
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Senate: Support fatality review panel

This post originally appeared as a Letter to the Editor in the Courier Journal on February 27, 2013 A critical bill now stands before the Senate that would create a child fatality and near fatality review panel. The creation of this panel would be one of the biggest steps forward our state can take to identify trends and solutions to address child deaths and near deaths that occur as a result of abuse and neglect. [...]

By |2013-02-27T08:38:29-05:00February 27th, 2013|Blog, Child Welfare & Safety|
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Statement on Passage of HB 290 in the House

Three cornerstones will determine whether House Bill 290 is effective in protecting kids from dying due to abuse and neglect – confidentiality for individuals, transparency, and independence. Today the House took an important step in putting into statute a panel focused on preventing these child deaths by passing House Bill 290. We thank Representative Burch and Representative Wayne as well as many members of the House Health and Welfare Committee for their hard work to [...]

By |2013-02-22T10:53:26-05:00February 22nd, 2013|News Room|
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