07 May KYGA26: Bill Breakdown on Kids: This Year, Kids Won Big!
Every year, the Kosair for Kids Face It Movement’s Policy Team develops an agenda that aims to prevent child abuse, support families, and affect systemic change. This year, Face It celebrates three policy wins that accomplish each of those goals thanks to determined legislative champions and strong advocates who shared their stories and galvanized support.
Each of these bills were signed into law by Governor Beshear and represent critical steps toward keeping children safe.
House Bill 4, sponsored by Representative Marianne Proctor, criminalizes the sexual grooming of minors and classifies the offense as a misdemeanor or felony depending on the perpetrators age and relationship to the child. With its passage, Kentucky becomes one of less than 20 states with an anti-grooming law, giving local law enforcement the ability to intervene before child sexual abuse actually occurs.
House Bill 6, sponsored by Representative Samara Heavrin and based on the recommendations of the Kentucky Chamber’s Early Childhood Collaborative, establishes stronger child care infrastructure throughout the state for child care centers and family child care homes. This robust legislation requires annual training for child care providers on special education, a Face It policy team priority, to boost the safety of young children with disabilities when in the care of others, along with many other components.
House Bill 102 (components adopted within House Bill 253), sponsored by Representative James Tipton, addresses the risk of sexual misconduct by school district employees. The successful passage of this legislation reflects several years of advocacy by the policy team and other key stakeholders, as well as Representative Tipton’s steadfast commitment to ensuring every child has a safe learning environment. This legislation includes the following provisions:
— Prohibits nondisclosure agreements related to misconduct involving minor students.
— Requires school districts to disclose any disciplinary action and related terminations or resignations related to abusive conduct involving an applicant for a school district position.
— Establishes requirements around reporting disclosures of abuse involving a school district employee.
— Requires all private, parochial, and church schools to complete comprehensive background checks for all new hires and student teachers, with the option to complete an updated background check every five years.
We also saw significant financial investments included in the final state budget for organizations working with children who have experienced abuse and neglect. To support operational costs, the legislature allocated more than $10 million to child advocacy centers in each fiscal year, nearly $14 million to domestic violence shelters each fiscal year, and more than $7 million to rape crisis centers each fiscal year.
As we look ahead to the 2027 legislative session, here are some things that you can do today:
Face the Facts. Stay informed on the latest child maltreatment data by exploring the newly updated Face It Data Dashboard or watching our Lunch and Learn on Preventing Child Abuse Fatalities and Near Fatalities: Diving Deeper into the 2025 Child Fatality and Near Fatality External Review Panel Report.
Engage your legislators. Use the legislator lookup tool and send a handwritten thank you note or an email to your legislator for supporting the Face It policy priorities this year. This is a great time to start building a relationship with your legislator, as well, by scheduling a meeting with them in their district or inviting them to your office or community event.
Join the policy advocacy efforts. If you’re a Face It partner and interested in being more involved in policy advocacy, consider joining our policy team. You’ll have the opportunity to help shape annual policy agendas, attend monthly virtual policy team meetings with partners across the state, get support around engaging with legislators and testifying in committee hearings, and galvanize people in your networks to be informed and take action. Reach out to cdowns@kyyouth.org to learn more.