State Auditor Allison Ball filed a lawsuit Thursday in Franklin Circuit Court, seeking to compel Gov. Andy Beshear and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) to cooperate with an investigation into the lack of implementation of 2024’s Senate Bill 151, which dealt with kinship caregivers.
SB 151, passed unanimously by the Kentucky General Assembly during the 2024 regular session and signed by the governor, was created to strengthen kinship care, a lifeline for relatives who step in to care for displaced children. The auditor’s office launched an investigation into the law’s lack of implementation in order to identify solutions for the timely and effective distribution of kinship care resources as mandated by SB 151.
“This issue goes beyond funding and bureaucratic delays. It’s about doing what is right for Kentucky’s most vulnerable children and their caregivers. They deserve transparency, accountability and meaningful action,” Ball said. “I started this examination to determine why a lawfully passed bill meant to help children and families was not being faithfully executed. Governor Beshear’s CHFS refuses to cooperate with the examination and today I am asking the court to step in to require them to follow the laws of our commonwealth.”
Ball noted the action was needed to stand up for vulnerable Kentucky children and the kinship caregivers who support them.
Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville says she supports Ball’s actions.
“This is not a partisan issue or a funding problem, this is about priorities. Right now, Kentucky’s most vulnerable children and the relatives caring for them are not being prioritized. The cabinet recently advanced a $20 million increase in therapeutic foster care per diem rates using general funds at its discretion. Yet when it comes to SB 151, officials continue to claim they can’t act without a full cost estimate or additional appropriations.”
There is no word yet on when a hearing will be held on the lawsuit.
The governor’s office has not yet responded to a request for comment on the suit.
By Tom Latek, Kentucky Today
