Senate Committee Passes Foster Care Bill

The Kentucky Senate Health and Welfare Committee has unanimously approved a bill to help 18-year-olds transition from foster care to independent living. Senator Ken Winters of Murray sponsored the bill. He says it would allow youths to consult with state personnel six months before they turn 18 about whether they want to remain in foster care. They could then choose at 19 to remain in foster care until they're 21. The bill would also change the term "recommital" to "transitional living support." Chelsea Hoover, 19, who spent most of her life in foster care, testified that she chose independence when she turned 18, then had trouble getting back into foster care after she was abused. She says if the legislation had been in place, she might have chosen differently.