Child Welfare and Sex Offender Registry Restrictions
Summary
Kentucky HB778 prohibits individuals on adult or juvenile sex offender registries from being approved as foster care providers, relative caregivers, fictive kin placements, or adoptive parents. The bill also expands notification requirements for juvenile offenses, enhances penalties for abuse involving controlled substances with victims under 13, and establishes new requirements for reporting child abuse and substance-exposed infants.
What changed
HB778 amends multiple sections of Kentucky Revised Statutes to implement comprehensive child welfare reforms. Key provisions include: prohibition on sex offenders from foster care/adoption (KRS 199.462), expanded notification to school officials when minors are adjudicated as youthful offenders (KRS 610.345), authority for medical professionals to administer urine drug screens when abuse is suspected (KRS 620.050), enhanced penalties for third-degree abuse resulting in serious physical injury to children under 13 from controlled substance ingestion (KRS 508.120), and new requirements for law enforcement policies on pediatric controlled substance cases (KRS 15.440).
State agencies, schools, law enforcement, and medical professionals must update policies and procedures to comply with the bill's requirements. Child welfare agencies must implement sex offender registry checks for all foster care and adoption applicants. Schools must establish protocols for receiving notifications about adjudicated youth. Medical professionals may now administer comprehensive urine drug screens on children when abuse is suspected. Law enforcement agencies must develop policies and procedures manuals related to pediatric ingestion or inhalation of controlled substances, with continuing education requirements for relevant professionals.
What to do next
- Update foster care and adoption approval processes to include sex offender registry checks for applicants and all household members
- Develop policies for notifying school superintendents, directors of pupil personnel, and school resource officers when minors are adjudicated as youthful offenders
- Establish law enforcement policies and procedures for pediatric controlled substance ingestion/inhalation cases with required continuing education
Penalties
Enhanced penalties for abuse in the third degree if victim is under 13 years old and suffered serious physical injury from controlled substance ingestion or inhalation
Source document (simplified)
ChangeBridge / Kentucky / HB778 Passed HB778 House Bill Passed 2026-03-19
AN ACT relating to child welfare.
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.
Bill Details
State Kentucky
Session 2026 Regular Session
Chamber House
Official Source apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26RS/hb778....
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Sponsors
Nicolas Wilson (Rep - R) Samara Heavrin (Rep - R) Daniel Grossberg (Rep - D) Sarah Stalker (Rep - D)
Action History
2026-03-31 H passed 88-0 2026-03-31 H House concurred in Committee Substitute (1) 2026-03-31 H posted for passage for concurrence in Senate Committee Substitute (1) 2026-03-31 H to Rules (H) 2026-03-31 H received in House 2026-03-31 S 3rd reading, passed 38-0 with Committee Substitute (1) 2026-03-26 S posted for passage in the Consent Orders of the Day for Friday, March 27 2026 2026-03-25 S 2nd reading, to Rules as a consent bill 2026-03-24 S reported favorably, 1st reading, to Consent Calendar with Committee Substitute (1) 2026-03-20 S to Families & Children (S) 2026-03-19 S to Committee on Committees (S) 2026-03-19 S received in Senate 2026-03-18 H 3rd reading, passed 94-0 with Committee Substitute (1) 2026-03-17 H floor amendment (2) filed to Committee Substitute 2026-03-16 H posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Tuesday, March 17 2026 2026-03-13 H floor amendment (1) filed to Committee Substitute 2026-03-13 H 2nd reading, to Rules 2026-03-12 H reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1) 2026-03-04 H to Families & Children (H) 2026-02-27 H to Committee on Committees (H) 2026-02-27 H introduced in House
Votes
2026-03-18 House: Veto Override RCS# 284 Yea: 94 Nay: 0 2026-03-31 Senate: Third Reading RSN# 4066 Yea: 38 Nay: 0 2026-03-31 House: Veto Override RCS# 393 Yea: 88 Nay: 0
Committee Referrals
2026-02-27 H Committee On Committees 2026-03-04 H Families & Children 2026-03-13 H Rules 2026-03-19 S Committee on Committees 2026-03-20 S Families & Children 2026-03-25 S Rules 2026-03-31 H Rules
Amendments
0000-00-00 House Committee Substitute 0000-00-00 House Committee Substitute 0000-00-00 House Committee Substitute 0000-00-00 House Floor Amendment 0000-00-00 House Floor Amendment 0000-00-00 Senate Committee Substitute 0000-00-00 Senate Committee Substitute 0000-00-00 Senate Committee Substitute
Bill Text Versions
0000-00-00 Introduced 0000-00-00 Engrossed 0000-00-00 Enrolled
Subjects
Courts, District Courts, Family Education, Elementary and Secondary State Agencies Corrections Impact Local Mandate Legislative data powered by LegiScan (CC BY 4.0)
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