Updated March 20, 2026

With just ten working days to go in the 2026 legislative session, the state budget process is nearing its conclusion. As we detailed in early January, the General Assembly spent a bulk of the legislative time in 2026 crafting a two-year state budget that will be complete before the final gavel on April 15th. 

What’s Already Happened?

So far, the Governor released his proposed budget during the State of the Commonwealth address and this proposal was filed as House Bill 304. The House filed the first version of its budget proposal – House Bill 500 – which included the Executive Branch operating budget and many line items relevant for kids and families. 

After remarks from House Appropriations and Revenue Chairman, Representative Petrie indicating HB 500 was simply a starting point, various Budget Review Subcommittees met to dig into individual issues, hearing from various state offices and departments, stakeholders, and advocates about budgetary needs, projects, and important issues that need to be addressed.  

The House Appropriations and Revenue Committee heard HB 500 with a committee substitute – a new version of the bill – and passed it to the House floor where it passed with a vote of 81-18.

New: The Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee heard HB 500 with their own committee substitute and it passed the Senate floor unanimously.

What’s Coming Next? 

Now that the House and Senate have finalized their proposal, the bill will be referred to a conference committee including both House and Senate members to address differences and negotiate the final details that will head to the Governor’s desk. 

Where do Blueprint for Kentucky’s Children budget priorities stand?

As we track progress and revisions, we are hopeful the our state leaders continue to prioritize kids and families in the state budget and include the 2026 Blueprint budget priorities:

  • Ensure JUUL settlement dollars are used to address youth nicotine dependence, including cessation programming support and initiatives to reduce youth initiation.
  • Support the basic needs of families by investing in addressing diaper need.
  • Improve child safety and support independent living by automatically issuing state IDs at no cost for youth in foster care.
  • Ensure state employees have access to paid family leave every three years in order to support healthy families and allow them to stay financially stable after the birth or adoption of a child.
    • Senate Bill 14 includes a proposal for paid maternity leave for state employees.
  • Strengthen family legal representation and improve outcomes by creating a statewide office for family representation.
    • House Bill 598 includes the establishment of the Department of Family Representation and Advocacy.
  • Expand investments in Parent Engagement Meetings (PEMs) to support families at risk of educational neglect by connecting them with services and preventing unnecessary referrals to DCBS or the courts.
  • Ensure families have access to supervised parenting time services that maintain critical connections between children and their parents or siblings during child welfare involvement.
  • Prioritize investments for children who have experienced abuse and neglect by dedicating funds to support kinship caregivers.
    • The Senate’s budget proposal includes $5M per year to support implementation of Senate Bill 151 (2024) which provides kinship families with more time to make decisions about custody status and needed supports.

How Can You Take Action?