Title
A Resolution urging the Commonwealth of Ky. to clarify and reconsider its decision to cut child care assistance funding, requesting that the Ky. General Assembly authorize and direct the Legislative Research Commission to complete an economic impact study of the effect of these cuts, requesting that the General Assembly take appropriate measures to eliminate or reduce the impact of these cuts on impacted families, requesting that the General Assembly approve a waiver on the cuts to assistance for new applicants that have been a victim of domestic violence or abuse, and hereby notifying the appropriate officials. [Council Office, Maynard]
Body
WHEREAS, beginning in April 2013 the Commonwealth of Kentucky's Cabinet for Health and Family Services placed a freeze on applications for child care assistance funds to working parents and enacted the most restrictive income guidelines in the nation; and
WHEREAS, these cuts have reduced child care assistance funding by tens of millions of dollars, impacted an estimated existing 8,700 families and 20,000 children that were previously eligible for assistance and have resulted in new applicants being denied assistance that would have been otherwise previously eligible for these funds; and
WHEREAS, these child care assistance benefits allow low income family members to work and/or attain higher education and enable struggling low income families to work to improve their stations in life;
WHEREAS, the cuts to child care assistance by the Commonwealth of Kentucky could result in primary care givers having to choose between sub-standard care or leaving the workforce because they can no longer afford to simultaneously earn an income through work while providing their child with quality care; and
WHEREAS, the cuts to child care assistance by the Commonwealth of Kentucky could discourage parents from working by capping the amount of income they can earn to an amount that is, for many families, less than the minimum wage for a family working forty hours a week; and
WHEREAS, the cuts to child care assistance by the Commonwealth of Kentucky could provide a disincentive for struggling families to work or go to school by reducing the maximum income level for child care assistance to 100 percent of the federal poverty level, an eligibility cut-off that is lower than any other state and consequently incentivize increased dependence on public assistance programs; and
WHEREAS, the net result of the cuts to child care assistance by the Commonwealth of Kentucky is likely to include the reversal of any gains that have been made with respect to the children of the Commonwealth having the developmentally appropriate skill-set as measured by the BRIGANCE Early Childhood assessment when they enter kindergarten; and
WHEREAS, many of the children that are no longer able to receive the benefits of this assistance are denied the opportunity to receive a quality early education which will have a significant long term negative economic and societal impact on those children and, by extension, upon the future workforce of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and
WHEREAS, it is critical that funds be available to families impacted by domestic violence as they are necessary for the safety and well being of the children and affected parent by allowing separation from the violence and abuse.
WHEREAS, the cuts to child care assistance directly impact the economic development of the state, in that the Commonwealth of Kentucky, by making these cuts, fails to invest adequately in its future workforce and reduces the Commonwealth's ability to produce a workforce capable of competing in the global economy in coming decades, and
WHEREAS, it is a legislative priority of the Council of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government to seek reversal of the cuts made to child care assistance funding, to seek reinstatement of previous levels of funding, and to seek the lifting of the moratorium against applications for child care assistance,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE LEXINGTON-FAYETTE URBAN COUNTY GOVERNMENT:
Section 1 - That the Preamble to this Resolution be and hereby is incorporated by reference as if fully set out herein.
Section 2 - That the Council of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government hereby requests that the Commonwealth of Kentucky clarify and reconsider its decision to cut child care assistance and specifically address how the needs of those no longer receiving or eligible to receive this assistance will be met. Specifically, the Council of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government requests that the Commonwealth of Kentucky reconsider its decision to cut these critical funds based on the impact those cuts will have on economic development in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and its ability to grow and maintain a workforce that is ready to compete in the global economy.
Section 3 - The Council of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government hereby further requests that the General Assembly authorize and direct the Legislative Research Commission to complete an economic impact study, by county, of the effect of the cuts to child care assistance on low income working families, and asks that the results of this study be published by the Legislative Research Commission.
Section 4 - The Council of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government hereby asks that the Kentucky General Assembly take appropriate measures to eliminate or reduce the impact of these cuts to child care assistance funding on impacted low income working families.
Section 5 - The Council of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government hereby requests the Kentucky General Assembly to approve a waiver to the cuts to child care assistance funding for new applicants that have been a victim of domestic violence or abuse to allow an applicant to separate from the violent situation.
Section 6 - That the Clerk of the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council be and hereby is directed to send a copy of this Resolution to Governor Steve Beshear, 700 Capitol Avenue, Suite 100, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601; Senate President Robert Stivers, 702 Capitol Avenue Annex Room 236, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601; Representative Greg Stumbo, House Speaker, Capitol, Room 309, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601; the following committee chairpersons at their respective legislative offices: Representative Jimmie Lee, as Chairperson of the House Budget Review Subcommittee on Human Resources; Representative Ruth Ann Palumbo, as a Fayette County Representative and as Chairperson of the House Committee on Economic Development; Representative Tom Burch, as Chairperson of the House Committee on Health and Welfare; Senator Alice Forgy Kerr, as Fayette County's Senator and the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Economic Development, Tourism and Labor; Senator Julie Denton, as Chairperson of the Senate Committee on and Health and Welfare; and the following additional Fayette County legislators at their respective legislative offices: Senator Tom Buford, Senator Julian M. Carroll, Kentucky State Senator for the 13th District, Representative Sannie Overly, Representative Jesse Crenshaw, Representative Robert R. Damron, Representative Robert Benvenuti, III, Representative Kelly Flood, Representative Ryan Quarles, Representative Stan Lee, Representative James Kay, and Representative Susan Westrom.
Section 6 - That this Resolution shall become effective on the date of its passage.
PASSED URBAN COUNTY COUNCIL:
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MAYOR
ATTEST:
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CLERK OF URBAN COUNTY COUNCIL