Rep. Addia Wuchner, R-Florence, was recognized by Kosair Charities and Face It Abuse Movement Partners for her dedication to preventing child abuse and neglect in Kentucky, particularly in her role as Chair of the Kentucky House of Representative Health & Family Services Committee.
To recognize her extensive dedication to the safety and welfare of Kentucky’s children, Rep. Wuchner was named “Fearless Advocate Committed to the End.”
Face It Abuse aims to end child abuse and neglect in Kentucky by 2023.
Among multiple measures Rep. Wuchner sponsored during the 2017 Legislative Session, House Bill 524 was a multifaceted human trafficking and child protection measure. HB 524 required those convicted of promoting human trafficking be included on the sex offender website. Additionally, the measure required the posting of the National Human Trafficking Awareness hotline number in all Kentucky rest areas and also in Kentucky Schools along with the Abuse Hotline. The hotline materials are furnished at no cost to the Commonwealth.
Another critical section of HB 524 codified “serious physical injury” and defined sixteen substantial types of injuries, impairments and disfigurements for a child 12 years of age or less. This is extremely important in the prosecution of physical abuse cases as injuries present differently in adults and minor children.
“I am honored to be recognized by Kosair Charities, Kentucky Youth Advocates and FACE It Champions that work tirelessly on the behalf of our most vulnerable citizens,” said Rep. Wuchner. “I commend my colleagues in the House and Senate for putting children first and helping to end child abuse and neglect in Kentucky, especially Sen. Julie Raque Adam, Rep. Kim King, Rep. Larry Brown and Rep. Melinda Gibbons Prunty for their commitment to protecting children.”
Other critical child protection measures include the following:
Rep. Wuchner and Rep. Gibbons Prunty, R-Belton, co-sponsored House Bill 180, which provides an additional and less traumatic option other than foster care for children who have to be removed from their home by the Cabinet when relative or kinship placement is not possible. ‘Fictive kin’ provides placement with adults who are not blood relatives but have a significant relationship with the child or children.
“’Fictive kin,’ as they are called, are often the closest thing to family that kids have,” said Rep. Wuchner. “And in circumstances when a child is removed from their home, they can be a saving grace – a stabilizer that keeps a child from entering foster care and a series of tough transitions.”
House Bill 180, co-sponsored by Rep. Brown, R-Prestonsburg and Rep. Wuchner, allows children in the foster care system to obtain their drivers’ licenses. In the past, Kentucky required a parent or legal guardian to sign a release for young drivers, making it difficult for foster children to get a license.
Sen. Raque Adams, R-Louisville, championed Senate Bill 236. This measure gives incredible protections for children within the child care system by requiring background checks for every single child-serving professional, including school personnel and those working or volunteering in youth camps. SB 236 ensures parents can now verify if a child care provider has prior substantiated abuse issues.
Rep. King, R-Harrodsburg, also sponsored two important measures which will have an enormous impact on young Kentuckians. House Bill 33 sets forth the parameters by which the Cabinet must notify schools when Court orders change custody in dependency, abuse and neglect cases. House Bill 38 clarifies the protection of our defenseless children from sexual predators on every single public playground in Kentucky by preventing them from being on the ground without express, written permission from a public official.
“All of these measures, which have been signed into law by Gov. Bevin, are part of our ongoing commitment to prevent child abuse, protect children and strengthen child abuse policies that promote the greatest welfare of our Kentucky children,” added Rep. Wuchner. “As your representative and Chair of the House Health and Family Services Committee, I will continue to make child abuse prevention a priority and advocate for the protection of our youngest and most vulnerable citizens.”