Page 1 of 2 LRC 2024-BR241-HB747
COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY FISCAL NOTE STATEMENT
LEGISLATIVE RESEARCH COMMISSION
2024 REGULAR SESSION
MEASURE
2024 BR NUMBER 241 HOUSE BILL NUMBER 747
TITLE AN ACT relating to educational neglect.
SPONSOR Representative Jason Petrie
FISCAL SUMMARY
STATE FISCAL IMPACT: YES NO UNCERTAIN
OTHER FISCAL STATEMENT(S) THAT MAY APPLY: ACTUARIAL ANALYSIS
LOCAL MANDATE CORRECTIONS IMPACT HEALTH BENEFIT MANDATE
APPROPRIATION UNIT(S) IMPACTED: Department for Community Based Services
FUND(S) IMPACTED: GENERAL ROAD FEDERAL RESTRICTED Various
FISCAL
ESTIMATES
2023-2024 2024-2025 2025-2026 ANNUAL IMPACT AT
FULL
IMPLEMENTATION
REVENUES
EXPENDITURES Indeterminable Indeterminable Indeterminable
NET EFFECT (Indeterminable) (Indeterminable) (Indeterminable)
( ) indicates a decrease/negative
PURPOSE OF MEASURE: The purpose of this measure is to amend the definition of an
abused and neglected child to describe educational neglect and require that a parent or guardian
surrender public assistance benefits received on behalf of a child when the child is placed outside
the home by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) due to educational neglect.
FISCAL EXPLANATION : The provisions of this legislation could potentially impact the
Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) by an indeterminable amount due to the
need for additional social service workers to support the anticipated increase in child protective
service reports alleging educational neglect. DCBS states that to adequately handle an additional
1,000 abuse and neglect cases, they would need to hire an additional 34 social service workers at
approximately $108,000 each, which includes salary and fringe benefits. This cost would be
approximately $3.7 million annually utilizing blended fund sources.
Page 2 of 2 LRC 2024-BR241-HB747
According to DCBS, the Kentucky Department of Education’s 2022-2023 Safe Schools Annual
Statistical Report stated that 88,789 children (14.6% of students) had a behavioral event in that
school year. It is the opinion of DCBS that educational neglect would include a child's violation
of the school board’s code of acceptable behavior if the board attributed it to a parent's failure to
properly supervise or control his or her child. This is potentially 88,789 more cases that may
meet the criteria for this legislation and would require investigations which would lead to an
increase in hiring additional staff, as noted above.
Any savings to CHFS as a result of removing a parent or guardian from public assistance
benefits would be offset by an increase in hiring additional social service workers to handle the
increased caseloads. The additional cost impact could be substantial, yet indeterminable.
DATA SOURCE(S): Cabinet for Health and Family Services
PREPARER: Kevin Newton NOTE NUMBER: 112 REVIEW: JB DATE: 3/21/2024