09 Apr 2025 Face It Policy Priority Wins and Updates
As we recognize Child Abuse Prevention Month this April, we also celebrate meaningful progress made during Kentucky’s 2025 legislative session. The Kosair for Kids Face It Movement continues to drive systemic change by advancing policies that prevent child abuse and support families across the commonwealth.
This year’s session brought significant momentum and real results. With bipartisan support and the steadfast commitment of legislative champions and community advocates, two of Face It’s Policy Priorities were successfully passed by the Kentucky General Assembly and signed into law by Governor Beshear. These new laws represent powerful steps forward in protecting children from harm and equipping the adults in their lives with the tools to act.
Senate Bill 73, championed by Senator Raque Adams, establishes the crime of sexual extortion in Kentucky law and ensures schools take proactive steps to raise awareness, provide support, and help prevent youth exploitation in a digital age. Specifically, the law:
–> Establishes harsher penalties when the victim is a minor, suffers serious harm, or the offender holds a position of special trust
–> Adds sexual extortion to the definition of a sex crime in Kentucky
–> Requires school districts to notify students in fourth grade and above, as well as caregivers of all students, about the crime of sexual extortion
–> Mandates that schools and postsecondary institutions display age-appropriate posters with information and resources
Senate Bill 120, championed by Senator Chambers Armstrong, ensures that trusted adults in school sport settings are equipped to protect the youth they mentor when concerns arise. The new law:
–> Requires coaches and athletic administrators to complete training on how to recognize and report suspected child maltreatment, in accordance with Kentucky’s mandatory reporting laws
–> Ensures student-athlete consent forms include a reminder of the mandatory reporting law, instructions on how to report abuse or neglect, and an affirmation of the student’s right to speak up if they experience or witness harm
–> Applies to all interscholastic athletics programs overseen by the Kentucky Board of Education or its designated agencies
Looking Ahead: Where Continued Advocacy is Needed
While this year brought significant victories, two of Face It’s 2025 policy priorities did not cross the legislative finish line. However, both proposals gained meaningful support and will remain key areas of focus moving forward.
Despite having bipartisan support for three consecutive years, our educator sexual misconduct priority, House Bill 36, sponsored by Representative Tipton, did not advance. The bill aimed to reduce the risk of sexual abuse and exploitation in Kentucky’s schools by:
–> Prohibiting nondisclosure agreements related to misconduct involving minors or students in public, charter, and certified nonpublic schools
–> Defining abusive conduct and mandating thorough background and reference checks during the hiring process
–> Requiring the investigation of allegations and establishing strict employment standards and training on sexual misconduct prevention
Similarly, despite initially moving forward as part of a committee substitute, House Bill 194, known as Kyan’s Law and sponsored by Representative Witten, ultimately stalled. The bill aimed to strengthen Kentucky’s child protection system by:
–> Requiring animal control officers to be trained on recognizing signs of child abuse and neglect
–> Adding animal control officers to the list of mandated reporters of suspected child maltreatment
What you can do
Learn and Share
— Read our blogs to dive deeper into these issues:
–> Educator Sexual Misconduct: The Role of Technology and Prevention Efforts
–> Equipping Animal Control Officers to Help Keep Kids Safe
— Watch our Link By the Numbers Webinar to learn more about the correlation between animal and child maltreatment (Note: Contains content that may be upsetting to some viewers).
— Explore our new Face It Child Abuse & Neglect Data Dashboard to better understand the landscape of child safety in Kentucky.
Stay Informed and Show Up
— Attend a Face It event during Child Abuse Prevention Month in April to stand in solidarity with advocates from across the state.
— Follow Face It via social media, our blog, and Face It Friday emails for updates and action alerts.
Connect with Your Legislators
— Find who represents you in Frankfort, with this Look Up Tool.
— Write or call your legislator to thank them for passing SB 73 and SB 120 and encourage them to keep protecting children in the next legislative session.
Attend the Facing the Facts Webinar (Thursday, April 10, 2025 @ 10:00 AM ET)
Join us for a webinar introducing the new Face It Child Abuse & Neglect Data Dashboard, a powerful tool to inform and enhance prevention. We’ll also highlight the connection between data and the 2025 state policy actions. Register Here