One of the highlights of the 2018 General Assembly session is the reform put in motion for Kentucky’s Adoption and Foster Care systems. House Bill 1 passed the House 90-1 and unanimously in the Senate.
The legislation institutes wide ranging reforms such as speeding up the adoption process for children in the foster care system and giving foster parents a greater voice in the process. The bill also includes provision for infants suffering from neonatal abstinence syndrome…an illness that occurs when the birth mother’s addiction to drugs is passed to the baby.
The new state budget provides funding for all of the provisions…including a 10% pay increase for social workers.
Dr. Terry Brooks of Kentucky Youth Advocates says of the legislation, “In a time of division – in a time when it is easy to become disenchanted with the political process – HB 1 is silhouetted as an example of the powerful good that can come when elected leaders lead. Its impact will be profound and sweeping.”
House Bill 1 is an example of leaders leading well.