At the end of the legislative session, Gov. Andy Beshear sent lawmakers a list of bills he said did not receive appropriate funding. He said that, unless more funding was added, his administration would not be able to implement the new laws. They include several pieces of bipartisan legislation that Beshear himself had signed, including Senate Bill 151.
SB 151 is designed to keep kids out of foster care by extending the same benefits that foster parents get to more relatives, giving them more time and flexibility to apply for the benefits.
Kentucky State Auditor Allison Ball told the members of the Interim Joint Committee on Families and Children on Wednesday that she would launch a “preliminary assessment” to determine if Beshear and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services really does not have the resources to make SB 151 a reality.
“We are going to make all attempts to make this a collaborative effort with the governor and (the cabinet),” Ball said. “But rest assured, we're going to do everything that we can to figure out the facts that you need to know and the facts Kentucky needs to know so this can be implemented.”
The cabinet said they need an additional $20 million to implement the bill. Before SB 151, relative caregivers had one chance to sign up for the extra state benefits. The cabinet claims that giving caregivers more opportunities to access those benefits has a multimillion dollar price tag.
Ball said she will look into whether the cabinet already has enough funding to implement the bill or consider if they do need more money to make it happen.
A spokesperson for Beshear previously said lawmakers chose not to provide the additional funding after communication from the administration.
“While the governor signed and supports the bill that would help our children and families, about $20 million would be needed to provide the services, and, on multiple occasions, the administration relayed this information,” Crystal Staley said in a statement.
Louisville Republican Sen. Julie Raque Adams, who originally sponsored the legislation and has expressed frustration that the administration did not intend to implement the bill, applauded the auditor’s decision to step in and offered legislative support for the inquiry. In previous interviews, Adams said she was shocked that her bill didn’t have enough funding, according to the cabinet, and would work to get it implemented as soon as possible.
Rep. Sarah Stalker, a Democrat from Louisville, said she hoped the legislature would also consider “opening up the budget” and give the cabinet more money to get the legislation across the finish line.
“Are we willing to fund it? And I am 100% in support of funding this. This is incredibly important,” Stalker said in the hearing.
State government and politics reporting is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
