Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D. Bishop | Archdiocese of Louisville

The Catholic Conference of Kentucky is actively supporting several legislative measures in the 2025 Kentucky General Assembly, focusing on family and justice issues. The conference, representing the state's four bishops in public policy matters, is advocating for House Bill 291 and Senate Bill 118. These bills address sentencing considerations for parents with minor children.

“Kentucky ranks second in the nation in the percentage of children with an incarcerated parent,” a statement from the conference highlighted. It further noted that while separation might be necessary at times, it often leads to negative outcomes for children and strains the foster care system.

Jason Hall, executive director of the conference, emphasized that these bills are “very pro-family.” He stated, “Keeping families together is something we value very highly.” Hall pointed out that incarcerating a primary caregiver without other family support can result in traumatic experiences for children who end up in foster care.

The proposed legislation requires courts to consider alternative sentences if a defendant is a primary caregiver unless they are guilty of violent crimes or crimes involving children. "It’s trying to do right by Kentucky’s kids," said Hall, adding that incarceration often harms rather than enhances public safety.

House Bill 291 has passed committee review and awaits further action from the full House. Hall encouraged Catholics to reach out to their legislators in support of this measure.

In addition to these bills, the Catholic Conference endorses several others:

- Senate Bill 60 aims to protect religious freedom by allowing individuals to sue if their rights are burdened by government actions.

- House Bill 206 focuses on compensating wrongfully convicted individuals who have been exonerated.

- House Bill 414 seeks to expand access to perinatal palliative care and ensure insurance coverage for such services.

- House Bill 136 mandates data reporting from the Department of Corrections regarding incarceration details.

Hall expressed concerns about immigration enforcement legislation under consideration, advocating for a balanced approach that avoids extremes like sanctuary cities or total enforcement by local law enforcement. He also addressed issues surrounding charitable gaming regulation following changes made last year that favored horse racing interests over charitable organizations. Efforts are underway to establish protections for charitable gaming interests during this session.

For those wishing to contact lawmakers about these issues, they can use the legislative message line at 1-800-372-7181 or email through legislature.ky.gov/Pages/contactus.aspx.