Title
A Resolution urging the Commonwealth of Ky. to clarify and reconsider its decision to cut child care assistance and requesting that the Ky. General Assembly take appropriate measures to eliminate or reduce the impact this decision will have on impacted families, and hereby notifying the appropriate officials. [Council Office, Maynard]
Body
WHEREAS, it was announced on January 30, 2013 that the Commonwealth of Kentucky's Cabinet for Health and Family Services will cut child care assistance to low income families and will pay no new subsidies to relatives raising abused or neglected children beginning in April 2013; and
WHEREAS these cuts will reduce this funding by tens of millions of dollars and impact an estimated existing 8,700 families and 20,000 children and other future applicants will be denied this funding; and
WHEREAS these benefits allow the family members to work and/or attain higher education and these funding reductions could result in primary care givers leaving the work force in order to provide child care; and
WHEREAS, the elimination of these benefits to those raising abused or neglected children will increase the likelihood that some of the children benefitting from this assistance will end up in foster care, which has additional cost ramifications to taxpayers; and
WHEREAS, there is some likelihood that the ultimate cost to taxpayers and society will be greater than the savings achieved through the proposed cuts due to the potential costs of job loss, increase need for foster care, loss of opportunity to attain higher education and the increased burden the program participants will place on various public and private community assistance programs; and
WHEREAS, many of the children that will no longer be able to receive the benefits of this assistance will be 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 the citizens of Kentucky and the advancement of the Commonwealth's desired educational outcomes; and
WHEREAS, the expected outcome of these reductions is inconsistent with providing opportunity for families to work toward financial and economic independence and is contrary to the mission and objective of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the values of the people of this great Commonwealth.
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 more specifically address how the needs of those no longer receiving or eligible to receive this assistance will be met and all of the impact that these reductions are likely to have on the citizens of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and that the Kentucky General Assembly take appropriate measures to eliminate or reduce the impact this decision will have on impacted families.
Section 3 - 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, Senator Kathy W. Stein, Representative Sannie Overly, Representative Jesse Crenshaw, Representative Robert R. Damron, Representative Robert Benvenuti, III, Representative Kelly Flood, Representative Ryan Quarles, Representative Stan Lee, Representative Carl Rollins II, and Representative Susan Westrom.
Section 4 - 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