Families and Children

Establish the Child Welfare and Family Court Reform Task Force; establish duties and membership; require the task force to meet monthly during the 2026 Interim of the General Assembly and submit a report to the Legislative Research Commission by December 1, 2026.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 15A to establish the Department of Family Representation and Advocacy and the Family Representation and Advocacy Commission to provide a state-sponsored and controlled system for training and appointing guardians ad litem and other counsel; amend various sections to cap guardian ad litem or counsel fees at $500; amend various other sections to conform; provide that the Act may be cited as the Family Representation and Advocacy Act; EFFECTIVE July 1, 2027.

Amend KRS 199.896 to establish standards and factors for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to consider in determining whether to issue a plan of correction, directed plan of correction or suspension or revocation of a child-care license in response to any alleged violation of an administrative regulation by a child-care center; require that a single violation of a directed plan of correction not result in a suspension or revocation of a child-care center's license unless the violation is solely determined to be solely enough to justify the action; permit documentation to be submitted to the cabinet up to 5 business days following a request; require weekly support contacts for a child-care center with a preliminary license; prohibit the cabinet from issuing violations during the probationary period; permit but not require the inspector general, the inspector general's designee, or other cabinet representative, to take actions relating to a child-care center license; make technical corrections; apply provisions of the Act to pending and not yet final actions related to licensed child-care centers, and to all actions that occur on or after the effective date; EMERGENCY.

Direct the Department for Libraries and Archives and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services to cooperate in exploring ways to increase enrollment in Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Program; direct the department and the cabinet to submit a report on the progress of identifying ways of increasing enrollment in the program to the Governor and the Legislative Research Commission by November 1, 2026.

Amend KRS 402.020 to prohibit marriage with a person under 18 years of age; exclude from being prohibited and void, marriages entered into in the Commonwealth before the effective date of this Act and marriages entered into in another state or country; amend KRS 402.080 and 402.210 to prohibit the issuance of marriage licenses to persons under 18 years of age; amend KRS 402.030 to conform; repeal KRS 402.205, relating to petitions to courts filed by minors aged 17 years seeking permission to marry.