Video & Transcript Research : 'October 14'

Page 16 of 500
KY

Kentucky 2026 Regular Session

House Standing Committee on Families and Children. (3-5-26)

Families & Children

Transcript Highlights:
  • :00.079> and<00:14:00.320> should<00:14:00.560> do<00:14:00.800> so<00:14
  • <00:14:11.360> way<00:14:11.519> to<00:14:11.680> the<00:14:11.760> table
  • >> I<00:14:30.399> can<00:14:30.560> move<00:14:30.959> until<00:14:31.120
  • >> Thank<00:14:50.560> you,<00:14:50.720> Madam<00:14:51.040> Chair,<00:14
  • <00:14:58.880> Um,<00:14:59.279> this<00:14:59.519> is<00:14:59.600> a
Summary: The House Standing Committee on Families and Children met and first adopted a House committee substitute for House Bill 669, which would protect federal benefits belonging to children in out-of-home care. The sponsor explained the bill is intended to prevent the state from using a child’s Social Security survivor, disability, or death benefits to offset care costs, instead requiring those funds to be preserved in an account for the child and made available at certain milestones or when the child leaves care. Members asked about who would oversee the funds, how annual eligibility reviews would work, and when the child could access the money; the sponsor said the cabinet would set the review process by rule and that the funds would remain available for the child. The committee approved HB 669 15-0 with favorable expression. The committee then considered House Concurrent Resolution 36, as amended by committee substitute, which creates a child welfare and family court reform task force. The substitute changed the reporting structure to send the task force’s report to the interim joint committee on families and children and the judiciary committee, rather than a now-defunct Health and Human Services committee. Supporters said the task force should review child abuse and neglect, foster care, and family court processes, and gather input from experts and people with lived experience. Members discussed whether the work should be divided into separate family court and child welfare task forces, but the resolution moved forward and passed 15-0 with favorable expression. Finally, the committee heard House Bill 686, which would establish a Kentucky Positive Youth Development Commission and a dedicated trust and agency account to support community-based youth programming up to age 25. The sponsor and witnesses said the bill responds to rising youth mental health concerns, self-harm, and suicide, and would coordinate statewide efforts, support evidence-based out-of-school programming, and provide technical assistance to local partners. Testimony emphasized the importance of connectedness, trusted adults, community-based responses, and using settlement funds from social media-related harms to youth to support the trust. Members asked about how the bill compares with other states and how the “dose-response” language relates to adverse and positive childhood experiences. HB 686 also passed 15-0 with favorable expression. The committee announced its next meeting for Thursday, March 12 at 9:00 a.m. and then adjourned.
KY

Kentucky 2026 Regular Session

House Standing Committee on Health Services (1-15-26)

Health Services

Transcript Highlights:
  • >> Very<00:14:56.160> good.
  • <00:14:56.480> House<00:14:56.720> Bill<00:14:57.199> 178<00:14:57.760> passes
  • <00:14:58.160> with >> Very good.
  • House Bill 178 passes with favorable<00:14:58.880> expression.
  • <00:14:59.440> Thank<00:14:59.680> you.
Summary: The Health Services Committee met for the first time in the 2026 session and established a quorum before taking up three measures. House Bill 178, sponsored by Rep. Kim Moser with support from the Kentucky Psychiatric Medical Association, was presented as a budget-neutral collaborative care model to improve access to mental health treatment in primary care settings. Testimony emphasized workforce shortages, long wait times, stigma, and the potential for the model to reduce costs and improve outcomes by having primary care providers work with behavioral health care managers and psychiatric consultants. The bill received a favorable recommendation by roll call vote. The committee then considered House Bill 280, also sponsored by Rep. Moser. The bill and committee amendment were described as cleanup and policy updates affecting Kentucky Board of Nursing licensure standards, including restoring language related to abuse, neglect, and exploitation in the central registry, preserving the board’s ability to investigate out-of-state applicants, and adding an emergency provision. The bill also updated school medication provisions to allow certain prescribed rescue medications, including bronchodilator inhalers, nebulizers, glucagon, Solu-Cortef, and updated epinephrine delivery. The committee adopted the amendment, approved the bill with favorable expression, and then approved a motion to roll the committee amendment into the House committee substitute. Finally, the committee took up House Joint Resolution 24, sponsored by Rep. Ken Fleming, with a committee substitute adopted first. The resolution was explained as a request for the cabinet to withdraw a previously submitted Medicaid-related waiver application so it could be resubmitted under new requirements tied to House Resolution 1. The committee approved the resolution with favorable expression and also adopted a title amendment. The meeting concluded with notice that the next committee meeting would be Thursday, January 22nd at noon.
KY
Transcript Highlights:
  • <00:14:02.560> at<00:14:02.800> this<00:14:02.959> time<00:14:03.199> but
  • c><00:14:29.440> get<00:14:29.680> settled<00:14:30.079> in,<00:14:30.720> um
  • > committee,<00:14:32.320> you'll<00:14:32.639> have<00:14:32.800> a<00:14
  • need<00:14:34.800> to<00:14:34.880> make<00:14:35.040> sure<00:14:35.279> is
  • And uh I'll<00:14:38.160> remind<00:14:38.320> you<00:14:38.560> we<00:14:38.720
Summary: The committee opened with a roll call, confirmed a quorum, approved the minutes by voice vote, and recognized a guest of Senator Hickden, retired judge Dan Kelly. The chair then moved through a tight agenda and limited public presentations and questions. The first presentation was on robotics education in Kentucky, led by Representative Chris Lewis, Kentucky FIRST Robotics executive director Kelly Gowen, and students from Whitfield Academy. They argued that robotics should be expanded in high schools as a workforce pipeline for engineering, manufacturing, and advanced technology jobs. The presentation emphasized hands-on learning, industry certifications, teacher development, and a proposed framework to fund robotics education programs statewide. Committee members were not allowed to ask questions because of time constraints. The second presentation was from Canopy Kentucky, led by Adam Watson and founder Scott Collins. They described Canopy’s business and entrepreneurship education programs for fifth graders and high school students, including the NextGen Good Biz initiative and an eight-classroom high school unit. Canopy requested a one-time $750,000 appropriation for fiscal year 2026, matched by private funds, to expand into more schools and rural areas, train educators, and report outcomes. Members asked a brief question about how the programs fit into school schedules and the difference between the elementary and high school offerings. The final presentation, from KDE’s Kelly Foster and Todd Allen, reviewed the state’s school improvement classifications. Foster explained CSI, TSI, and ATSI status, the federal and state legal framework, and how House Bill 298 returned CSI identification to an annual cycle. She reported that Kentucky identified 50 CSI schools on the most recent release, with 53 CSI schools statewide, along with 39 TSI schools and 102 ATSI schools. She also outlined KDE’s support process, including education recovery staff, diagnostic reviews, turnaround plans, and required professional learning for CSI schools.