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Committee endorses bill to expand researcher access to child-welfare data
Summary
House Bill 242 passed the House Standing Committee on Families and Children 16-0. Sponsor Representative Samara Hevren said the bill would increase transparency by allowing qualified researchers access to child-welfare program data while balancing privacy protections.
House Bill 242, sponsored by Representative Samara Hevren, was reported favorably by the House Standing Committee on Families and Children with a 16-0 vote.
Representative Hevren told the committee the bill "creates an opportunity to ensure that there's more transparency and information available" for evaluating Kentucky's child-welfare program. Matthew Walton, a child-welfare researcher testifying as a private citizen, described his work and supported the bill’s goals to make program data available for evaluation while preserving necessary privacy protections.
Committee members asked no substantive questions during the hearing. After a motion and second to report the bill favorably, the committee conducted a roll call that recorded 16 yes votes and no opposing votes; the committee secretary announced the bill passed the committee favorably.
Committee discussion emphasized balancing increased data access for researchers with privacy safeguards; no specific statute names, data-sharing standards, or budget implications were discussed in the committee record. The committee recommended the bill for favorable passage to the full House.
House Bill 242 will proceed to the House floor for further consideration.
