[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6660953,"mediaKeyId","2429655-0db267f2226290e2c568d5cabffb080b","parentId",2429655,"title","Committee approves technical cleanup to child-safety plan statute, adds automatic kinship reporting","audioSeconds",701,"startMs",1778000,"endMs",2479000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2429655-0db267f2226290e2c568d5cabffb080b&start=1778&end=2479","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2429655-0db267f2226290e2c568d5cabffb080b/thumbnail_1778000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6660953/Kentucky/Committee-approves-technical-cleanup-to-child-safety-plan-statute-adds-automatic-kinship-reporting","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6660953-39a2c7fb88edb9a953d33ab631410a63/orig.mp4?Expires=1771075390&Signature=fUDEuDzT~uuutLv8f78Tcahtv1c6xzDRojF3io5GdqKwr4nk4XjaKvetsX~HeYomMnxlmrnQGvvopPrVL-v7JQY~GMG207sQVEiUeW~8EHbKyL6q7YPVZL7~D7B9tgGkh4ioy8uNLIPZZ3vrWLwn8M1c-ehlVLio0Cva4pJXHy7v8MAvywBX7vaKwgs5LVDpiZG5Z8Z-Br~l-r3-7DsSZOmYwqzl53oEd19AALsFFJr9b9fys2-sdAlN0ouuh-9ijUXfdrTsOhAJXbjjzneHQnBoB~9Qm9T6s2TCYU2zoGNmBUFuLH5CwLGAIavUERYuDQoEXcPTDJ4XN3VK7ntnxA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Kentucky Legislature","date","2025-02-27T14:53:04.8Z","article","Representative Nick Wilson and Representative Sarah Stocker presented House Bill 805 and a committee substitute and amendment that the committee approved on the floor. Supporters described the bill as technical cleanups to House Bill 271 (passed last year) that clarify language used in safety plans and improve reporting transparency.

The nut graf: Proponents said HB 805 replaces the word \"threats\" with \"risks\" in the safety‑plan definition, clarifies language about negotiated safety plans and requires the cabinet to publish kinship reporting annually on a public‑facing website so the committee and the public receive the data without a special request.

Representative Wilson said last year’s HB 271 codified practices seen in court and that the new bill adjusts statutory phrasing where terms of art created confusion for social workers and judges. He said the substitution from \"threats\" to \"risks\" better matches court and cabinet practice. Representative Stocker explained the reporting change, saying kinship reporting will be produced automatically each year and posted publicly.

Committee members discussed how reports differ from intakes — several members said a report is the raw number of complaints received while an intake is an instance where the cabinet opens a case or investigation. Proponents said they want the cabinet to report both figures so the legislature can monitor whether the cabinet is investigating an appropriate share of reports. Representative Dietz and others said the committee aims to ensure that judicial decisions remain with family court judges; the bill does not change judicial authority but standardizes statutory language.

The committee adopted the committee substitute and an amendment to correct a repeated phrase, then approved the bill by roll call. The chair announced the bill passed with a favorable expression and should go to the House floor.

Votes at a glance: Committee reported House Bill 805 favorably; roll call recorded multiple yes votes and the chair announced passage.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Standing Committee on Families & Children (2-27-25)","oneSentenceSummary","House Bill 805, a technical cleanup to last year’s child‑safety statute, passed the Committee on Families and Children with changes that replace certain terms, clarify safety‑plan language and require annual public kinship reporting by the cabinet.","taxTitle","Committee on Families and Children, House of Representative, Committees, Legislative, Kentucky","taxId",29120,"location","Kentucky","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":44,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6660958,"Committee advances bill to ensure auditor's ombudsman access to child-welfare records, clarifies protections",1255,523000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2429655-0db267f2226290e2c568d5cabffb080b&start=523&end=1778","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2429655-0db267f2226290e2c568d5cabffb080b/thumbnail_523000.jpg","/articles/6660958/Kentucky/Committee-advances-bill-to-ensure-auditors-ombudsman-access-to-child-welfare-records-clarifies-protections","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6660958-18d0da78768808ef93e15efb2c374fff/orig.mp4?Expires=1771075390&Signature=SF1goX9AoHiyM08cc1eDPYTAK-h868bjMZSmTgs9D0qG2XrR2dEflnbm0OeTfZ46hEqIbN3r9ADTcQLXUg~Yb3TBgOsQUngzUZxbPgiiz5WIelzSE1tEnZDNhAn1hf9Z~2NqQYwQgZQhD24aQeXWvnscfbYaPlT9UcjVFr8hlrel6nc9g7epnIGHMI0BTBzBuxIGHJadz9QdQSI09S6S4zF-pvQQ3fp57R6CnUh1686MWk3KlmUCAxAUVh5mlkDvH6IU67SpPfhH157ENPJHIHYYv~RSPEuexf4PHf01Ytls~Gd~YzTZETTEvxR6AunyIO8-i1n~G0rEn~wlICjetQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator Steve Meredith and Auditor Allison Ball told the Committee on Families and Children that Senate Bill 85 is intended to complete the transition of the Office of the Ombudsman from the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to the state auditor’s office and to remove barriers that have hindered the office’s work.

The nut graf: Supporters said the bill would codify access to the state’s iTWIS child‑welfare database, establish whistleblower protections, and formally place the ombudsman within the auditor’s organizational structure to increase transparency and investigative efficiency.

Meredith said the measure follows recommendations from a 2022 reorganization task force and a 2023 law (Senate Bill 48) that began moving the ombudsman out of the cabinet. Auditor Allison Ball described a dispute over access to iTWIS — the state’s digital record system for child abuse, foster‑care and adult abuse reports — that led the auditor’s office to file suit in Franklin County circuit court. She said a mediated resolution provided temporary access but the proposed language in Senate Bill 85 would leave no doubt that the ombudsman must be provided the records needed to investigate complaints.

Ball said that when the ombudsman was administratively attached to the auditor’s office in 2023, the office still lacked direct access to iTWIS; the cabinet had been acting as an intermediary for complaints and, Ball said, some complaints did not make their way to the ombudsman. Ball told the committee that the bill also contains whistleblower protections modeled on other states’ language, requires the cabinet to make ombudsman information available on a public website, and would structurally move the ombudsman into the auditor’s office for administrative efficiencies.

Committee members raised questions about independence and access. Representative Bojanowski and Representative Stocker said they supported removing the ombudsman from cabinet control; Representative Rorx and Representative Stalker expressed concern and asked for clarifying language and follow-up conversations. Ball and Meredith said the cabinet had agreed to the iTWIS language in negotiations and that mediation had produced temporary access pending legislative clarification.

The committee recorded a roll call after a motion and second. Several members explained their votes during the roll call; the chair announced the bill passed with a favorable expression and should proceed to the House floor.

Votes at a glance: Committee favorably reported Senate Bill 85; recorded votes included multiple yes votes and several members recorded a \"pass.\"","The committee voted to report Senate Bill 85 favorably after supporters described a legal dispute over access to the iTWIS child‑welfare database and proposed statutory language to guarantee the auditor’s Office of the Ombudsman continued access and whistleblower protections.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6660962,"House committee advances bill barring disability as sole basis for terminating parental rights",424,107000,531000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2429655-0db267f2226290e2c568d5cabffb080b&start=107&end=531","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2429655-0db267f2226290e2c568d5cabffb080b/thumbnail_107000.jpg","/articles/6660962/Kentucky/House-committee-advances-bill-barring-disability-as-sole-basis-for-terminating-parental-rights","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6660962-2b089a8531cabc2bada1c9f15d1e9d13/orig.mp4?Expires=1771075390&Signature=UJsaGUEH3m2LRBgot-2iV-HMtZ~PMPEEs8BMG2pLmR8RbBbBkXSZRfyk4Mygap5c2V0ZzJqP-cSB3ljTJ8T36tEH6n9zVDa69YZww2vspFssJ32A-yMWHXT66V8hmEK5OsIs-X48afJy4z9Atr78UW5x365rlWzXpc8saxwU1qvr0lPpdHfg7fcIXMU-txH-YKZ3rJFSk~aQAcdgxfxxC6SNIbFndVf4hAP9pNSagrdtdB6ax4V2l7xsMiHMMJwNC66NFwYGHDWB3yWBzSb8h2pZyG~DqexdxUt9BK7O74Lf3djeWkW601IvRmxDyzUCjBZosya25XIkdymhWDZvwA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senator Brandon Storm presented Senate Bill 26 to the House Committee on Families and Children, saying the measure would ensure Kentucky complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and that a disability alone cannot be used to terminate parental rights or to remove placement opportunities for children.

Proponents said the bill responds to two appellate decisions that highlighted the risk that parents with intellectual or developmental disabilities were not being given a fair chance to demonstrate parenting capacity. Family Court Judge Marcus Vanover and Crystal Adams of the Department for Behavioral Health’s division for intellectual and developmental disabilities summarized the commission's review and national research showing elevated removal rates for parents with disabilities.

The nut graf: Committee members were told the Kentucky Judicial Commission on Mental Health vetted the bill after reviewing two cases — a 2019 Kentucky Supreme Court case (Cabinet for Health and Family Services v. K.S.) and a 2021 Court of Appeals case (TC v. Cabinet for Health and Family Services) — and concluded statutory clarification was needed so disability itself would not be the dispositive basis for termination of parental rights.

Vanover, who said the commission collects legislative recommendations after multi‑work‑group review, described how the commission found instances where statutory wording prevented judges from considering whether a parent’s disability, with appropriate supports, would allow family reunification. Crystal Adams cited federal technical assistance from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office for Civil Rights and national studies indicating that, nationally, removal rates for parents with a psychiatric disability can be as high as 70–80 percent and for parents with intellectual disabilities 40–80 percent; she said 13 percent of families with a parent’s physical disability reported discriminatory treatment in custody cases.

Committee members posed no substantial objections and there were no amendments offered during the committee consideration. A motion and second were recorded and the committee clerk conducted a roll call. The committee reported the bill favorably by voice and roll call; the chair announced the committee vote as 15–0 with favorable expression and recommended the measure proceed to the House floor.

The bill’s supporters emphasized the measure would not change the standards for safety or remove existing child-protection tools; instead, they said, it clarifies that disability alone cannot be the determinative factor in termination proceedings and ensures parents are afforded opportunities to demonstrate improvement with supports.

Votes at a glance: the committee recorded a unanimous favorable report (15 yes, 0 no).","The Committee on Families and Children voted unanimously to give Senate Bill 26 a favorable report after proponents said the measure would ensure Kentucky courts and child-welfare agencies cannot terminate parental rights solely on the basis of a parent’s disability.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee approves technical cleanup to child-safety plan statute, adds automatic kinship reporting

Committee advances bill to ensure auditor's ombudsman access to child-welfare records, clarifies protections

House committee advances bill barring disability as sole basis for terminating parental rights