KY HB 778

enacted

AN ACT relating to child welfare.

Kentucky · 2026 Regular Session · lower

Description

Amend KRS 199.462 to prohibit an individual from being approved to provide foster care or relative caregiver services to a child, be considered a fictive kin placement for a child, or to receive a child for adoption if the individual or an adult or minor child living in the individual's is on the adult or juvenile sex offender registry; amend KRS 199.801 related to placement requirements for children in the custody of the state; amend KRS 600.020 to update definitions for "diversion agreement," "eligible youth," and "informal adjustment"; amend KRS 610.030 to establish which individuals shall have access to diversion agreements related to juvenile court cases; amend KRS 610.345 to expand the list of individuals that a judge shall notify when a child is adjudicated guilty of an offense which classifies him or her as a youthful offender to include school superintendents, school directors of pupil personnel, and school resource officers; amend KRS 620.050 to expand the list of individuals or entities that can have access to a report of suspected child abuse, neglect, or dependency; remove certain individuals and entities that could have access to files, reports, notes, photographs, records, electronic and other communications, and working papers used or developed by a children's advocacy center related to child welfare investigations; to allow medical professionals to administer comprehensive urine drug screens on children when they suspect abuse or neglect; allow external child fatality and near fatality review panel to access additional data; amend KRS 620.055 to allow the child fatality and near fatality review panel to compel the attendance of members from an investigating agency to discuss cases in closed session; amend KRS 620.140 to expand the ability for a dependent, neglected, or abused youth to request to have his or her commitment extended or reinstated beyond the age of 18 up to the age of 21; create a new section of KRS Chapter 211 to define and establish requirements for "plan of safe care" and "plan of care safety assessment review" related to substance-exposed infants; create a new section of KRS Chapter 625 related to reporting of involuntarty termination of parental rights; amend KRS 508.090 to define "controlled substance" and "abuse or neglect"; amend KRS 508.100 and 508.110 to conform; amend KRS 508.120 to enhance the penalty of abuse in the third degree if the victim is under 13 years old and suffered serious physical injury as a result of ingesting or inhaling a controlled substance; amend KRS 15.440 to require law enforcement agencies to possess a policies and procedures manual related to pediatric ingestion or inhalation of controlled substances; amend various sections to require continuing education on pediatric ingestion or inhalation of controlled substances for certain professionals.

Introduced: 2026-02-27
Status date: —
Latest action: 2026-04-10 — signed by Governor (Acts Ch.68)
Bill type: bill
Last updated: —

Subjects

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

2026-02-27
introduced in House
introduction
2026-02-27
to Committee on Committees (H)
referral-committee
2026-03-04
to Families & Children (H)
referral-committee
2026-03-12
reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1)
committee-passage
2026-03-13
2nd reading, to Rules
reading-2
2026-03-13
floor amendment (1) filed to Committee Substitute
amendment-introduction
2026-03-16
posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Tuesday, March 17 2026
2026-03-17
floor amendment (2) filed to Committee Substitute
amendment-introduction
2026-03-18
3rd reading, passed 94-0 with Committee Substitute (1)
passage,reading-3
2026-03-19
received in Senate
2026-03-19
to Committee on Committees (S)
referral-committee
2026-03-20
to Families & Children (S)
referral-committee
2026-03-24
reported favorably, 1st reading, to Consent Calendar with Committee Substitute (1)
committee-passage
2026-03-25
2nd reading, to Rules as a consent bill
reading-2
2026-03-26
posted for passage in the Consent Orders of the Day for Friday, March 27 2026
2026-03-31
3rd reading, passed 38-0 with Committee Substitute (1)
passage,reading-3
2026-03-31
received in House
2026-03-31
to Rules (H)
referral-committee
2026-03-31
posted for passage for concurrence in Senate Committee Substitute (1)
2026-03-31
House concurred in Committee Substitute (1)
2026-03-31
passed 88-0
passage
2026-04-01
enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House
passage
2026-04-01
enrolled, signed by President of the Senate
passage
2026-04-01
delivered to Governor
2026-04-10
signed by Governor (Acts Ch.68)
executive-signature

Versions

IntroducedCompare
Current/FinalCompare
Acts Chapter 68Compare
(document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

Pass
2026-03-18 · pass · 94-0
Member-level votes (100)
- Aull: yes
- Doan: yes
- Hart: yes
- McCool: yes
- Smith: yes
- Baker: yes
- Dossett: yes
- Heavrin: yes
- McPherson: yes
- Stalker: yes
- Banta: yes
- Dotson: yes
- Hodgson: yes
- Meade: yes
- Stevenson P: yes
- Bauman: yes
- Duvall: yes
- Holloway: yes
- Meredith: yes
- Tackett Laferty: yes
- Bivens: yes
- Elliott: yes
- Huff T: yes
- Miles: yes
- Tate: yes
- Blanton: yes
- Fister: yes
- Imes: yes
- Moore: yes
- Thomas: yes
- Bowling: yes
- Flannery: yes
- Jackson: yes
- Moser: yes
- Thompson: yes
- Branscum: yes
- Fleming: yes
- Johnson: yes
- Neighbors: yes
- Tipton: yes
- Bratcher S.: yes
- Freeland: yes
- King: yes
- Nemes: yes
- Truett: yes
- Bray: yes
- Fugate: yes
- Koch: yes
- Osborne: yes
- Upchurch: yes
- Bridges: yes
- Gentry: yes
- Kulkarni: yes
- Payne: yes
- Watkins: yes
- Brown: yes
- Gooch: yes
- Lawrence: yes
- Petrie: yes
- Wesley: yes
- Burke: yes
- Gordon: yes
- Lehman: yes
- Pollock: yes
- Whitaker: yes
- Callaway: yes
- Griffee: yes
- Lewis C: yes
- Proctor: yes
- White: yes
- Calloway: yes
- Grossberg: yes
- Lewis D: yes
- Raymer: yes
- Williams: yes
- Camuel: yes
- Grossl: yes
- Lockett: yes
- Riley: yes
- Willner: yes
- Chester-Burton: yes
- Hale: yes
- Maddox: yes
- Roarx: yes
- Wilson: yes
- Clines: yes
- Hampton: yes
- Marzian: yes
- Roberts: yes
- Witten: yes
- Dietz: yes
- Hancock: yes
- Massaroni: yes
- Sharp: yes
- Bojanowski: not voting
- Donworth: not voting
- Lewis S: not voting
- Rabourn: not voting
- Rudy: not voting
- Decker: not voting
CONSENT PASSAGE OF HB 778 w/ SCS 1
2026-03-31 · pass · 38-0
Member-level votes (38)
- Berg: yes
- Girdler: yes
- Neal: yes
- Storm: yes
- Boswell: yes
- Givens: yes
- Nemes: yes
- Thomas: yes
- Carpenter: yes
- Herron: yes
- Nunn: yes
- Tichenor: yes
- Carroll: yes
- Higdon: yes
- Raque Adams: yes
- Webb: yes
- ChambersArmstrong: yes
- Howell: yes
- Rawlings: yes
- West: yes
- Clemons: yes
- Madon: yes
- Reed: yes
- Wheeler: yes
- Deneen: yes
- Mays Bledsoe: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Williams: yes
- Douglas: yes
- McDaniel: yes
- Smith: yes
- Wilson: yes
- Elkins: yes
- Meredith: yes
- Stivers: yes
- Wise: yes
- Funke Frommeyer: yes
- Mills: yes
Final Passage
2026-03-31 · pass · 88-0
Member-level votes (100)
- Aull: yes
- Doan: yes
- Hancock: yes
- McPherson: yes
- Rudy: yes
- Baker: yes
- Donworth: yes
- Hart: yes
- Meade: yes
- Sharp: yes
- Banta: yes
- Dossett: yes
- Heavrin: yes
- Meredith: yes
- Smith: yes
- Bauman: yes
- Dotson: yes
- Holloway: yes
- Miles: yes
- Stalker: yes
- Bivens: yes
- Duvall: yes
- Huff T: yes
- Moore: yes
- Stevenson P: yes
- Blanton: yes
- Fister: yes
- Imes: yes
- Moser: yes
- Thomas: yes
- Bojanowski: yes
- Flannery: yes
- Jackson: yes
- Neighbors: yes
- Thompson: yes
- Bowling: yes
- Fleming: yes
- Johnson: yes
- Osborne: yes
- Tipton: yes
- Branscum: yes
- Freeland: yes
- King: yes
- Payne: yes
- Truett: yes
- Bratcher S.: yes
- Fugate: yes
- Kulkarni: yes
- Petrie: yes
- Upchurch: yes
- Bray: yes
- Gentry: yes
- Lehman: yes
- Pollock: yes
- Wesley: yes
- Bridges: yes
- Gooch: yes
- Lewis D: yes
- Proctor: yes
- Whitaker: yes
- Brown: yes
- Gordon: yes
- Lewis S: yes
- Rabourn: yes
- White: yes
- Burke: yes
- Griffee: yes
- Lockett: yes
- Raymer: yes
- Williams: yes
- Camuel: yes
- Grossberg: yes
- Maddox: yes
- Riley: yes
- Willner: yes
- Chester-Burton: yes
- Grossl: yes
- Marzian: yes
- Roarx: yes
- Wilson: yes
- Clines: yes
- Hale: yes
- Massaroni: yes
- Roberts: yes
- Witten: yes
- Dietz: yes
- Hampton: yes
- McCool: yes
- Callaway: not voting
- Elliott: not voting
- Lawrence: not voting
- Nemes: not voting
- Tate: not voting
- Calloway: not voting
- Hodgson: not voting
- Lewis C: not voting
- Tackett Laferty: not voting
- Watkins: not voting
- Decker: not voting
- Koch: not voting

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26RS/hb778.html

Attribution

Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T05:22:24.357326Z

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