---
type: "Bill"
title: "AN ACT relating to the protection of children."
description: "Amend KRS 620.500 to add the Kentucky CASA Network to the definition of \"association\"; amend KRS 620.505 to decrease the minimum number of local CASA board members from 15 to 12; remove the provision that local CASA programs are required to comply with National CASA Association Standards for programs make technical corrections; remove \"cabinet\" and replace with \"the Department for Community Based Services\" relating to employees who are prohibited from becoming volunteers or employees of the court-appointed special advocate program; amend KRS 620.537 to make technical corrections; amend KRS 620.055 to conform."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ky"
legislature: "Kentucky General Assembly"
session: "2026RS"
identifier: "SB 17"
citation: "Kentucky SB 17 (2026RS)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Boards And Commissions", "Children And Minors", "Courts", "State Agencies"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["B. Storm", "G. Neal", "M. Deneen"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 20
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2026-01-06T05:00:00+00:00"
last_action: "2026-04-08T04:00:00+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/989aad6c-9e75-4bb9-b009-4248b8de7e94"
source_url: "https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26RS/sb17.html"
source_hash: "2b9993c4b40553576c57d853aa60f5009c6ea01a3ddf0c24c32978dbdaf07837"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ky"]
---

# Kentucky SB 17 (2026RS) — AN ACT relating to the protection of children.

Amend KRS 620.500 to add the Kentucky CASA Network to the definition of "association"; amend KRS 620.505 to decrease the minimum number of local CASA board members from 15 to 12; remove the provision that local CASA programs are required to comply with National CASA Association Standards for programs make technical corrections; remove "cabinet" and replace with "the Department for Community Based Services" relating to employees who are prohibited from becoming volunteers or employees of the court-appointed special advocate program; amend KRS 620.537 to make technical corrections; amend KRS 620.055 to conform.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/sb17/orig_bill.pdf)
2. **Acts Chapter 53** (committee substitute) — [source](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/acts/26RS/documents/0053.pdf)
3. **Current/Final** (committee substitute) — [source](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/26RS/sb17/bill.pdf)

## Votes

- PASS SB 17 w/ SCS 1, SCTA 1 — **33–0** (pass) · upper
- Pass — **92–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- B. Storm — primary (person)
- G. Neal — primary (person)
- M. Deneen — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2026-01-06T05:00:00+00:00** introduced in Senate `introduction`
- **2026-01-06T05:00:00+00:00** to Committee on Committees (S) `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-20T05:00:00+00:00** to Judiciary (S) `referral-committee`
- **2026-01-22T05:00:00+00:00** reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title) `committee-passage`
- **2026-01-23T05:00:00+00:00** 2nd reading, to Rules `reading-2`
- **2026-01-23T05:00:00+00:00** posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Monday, January 26, 2026
- **2026-01-27T05:00:00+00:00** 3rd reading, passed with 33-0 Committee Substitute (1) and Committee Amendment (1-title) `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-01-28T05:00:00+00:00** received in House
- **2026-01-28T05:00:00+00:00** to Committee on Committees (H) `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-16T04:00:00+00:00** to Judiciary (H) `referral-committee`
- **2026-03-18T04:00:00+00:00** reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar `committee-passage`
- **2026-03-19T04:00:00+00:00** 2nd reading, to Rules `reading-2`
- **2026-03-20T04:00:00+00:00** posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Tuesday, March 24 2026
- **2026-03-25T04:00:00+00:00** floor amendment (1) filed `amendment-introduction`
- **2026-03-26T04:00:00+00:00** 3rd reading, passed 92-0 `passage, reading-3`
- **2026-03-27T04:00:00+00:00** received in Senate
- **2026-03-27T04:00:00+00:00** enrolled, signed by President of the Senate `passage`
- **2026-03-27T04:00:00+00:00** enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House `passage`
- **2026-03-27T04:00:00+00:00** delivered to Governor
- **2026-04-08T04:00:00+00:00** signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 53) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/989aad6c-9e75-4bb9-b009-4248b8de7e94`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Kentucky legislature records).