As we told you yesterday, the Kentucky House passed a two year budget last night after nearly 4 hours of debate.

It increases base funding for k through 12 education, fully funded school transportation, meets public pension obligations, and puts millions toward clean drinking water initiatives.

Public safety and more.

So what's missing?

Kentucky Addictions Jun Lefler spoke to child welfare, education and health care advocates about what's in the budget and what's been left out.

More as we began tonight's legislative update.

A cry around Kentucky's child care sector grows louder.

We as a state and 49 other states are flat out standing on a cliff because federal benefits that emanated from the pandemic are ready to vanish.

Kentucky started receiving $330 million annually for child care costs during the pandemic.

Those funds dry up this September.

Kentucky's House of Representatives says it will invest over $50 million a year a bump in Kentucky spending, but a far cry from what the feds had offered.

I'm concerned that those investments are not enough to prevent even a cliff in child care, much less improve our child care landscape.

Right now, around 60% of Kentucky is a child care desert, which means that there are three children who are vying for every available slot.

That's unacceptable to me.

Without a significant state budget, invest and the entire state is going to become a child care desert.

Early childhood is about getting our our our youngest off to a strong start ready for kindergarten.

When they're ready for kindergarten, we see stronger outcomes in third grade reading and mathematics, which sets those young people up for success in middle and high school.

Youth and education advocates say there are some wins in the House budget.

There's significant investment in full funding for kindergarten, which we've seen out of the legislature the last couple of budget sessions.

And we're pleased to see again this year, for the first time, the House is proposing fully funding school transportation, which is really an important issue for urban and rural areas alike, but even more important for rural areas of our state.

They're also putting significant dollars again for the third straight budget into post-secondary education for need based aid for students and into our universities across the state.

This is really important for Kentucky's economy and for making sure Kentuckians have the skills and the credentials they need to be successful.

We know that juvenile justice in the Commonwealth is at best a hot mess.

Well, what this budget does is it really goes upstream.

It looks at diversion and prevention programs and opportunities, which is exactly what we need to be doing.

So way to go house.

That includes more than half a million dollars for teen therapeutic homes across the state.

You'll see some important move ahead around child maltreatment.

You'll see some important improvements in services for young people aging out of care.

We're especially emboldened by their commitment to kinship care, which we believe is a really important element in that child welfare continuum.

One thing that's barely been discussed are more tax breaks for poor and working families.

Something Kentucky youth advocates says would be an ideal investment for Kentucky addition.

I'm June Leffler.

Thank you, June.

Now, the state budget is now in the possession of the Senate and waiting for consideration there.