FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - A bill aimed at creating an adult protection registry in Kentucky to give more assurances that the elderly and disabled are receiving compassionate care was passed by the state Senate on Thursday.
The registry would list people found to have abused, neglected or exploited vulnerable adults.
Care providers for those adults would have to check the registry to make sure potential employees, contractors and volunteers don’t have a history of abusing the elderly or disabled.
The checks would be with the state Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
Sen. Sara Beth Gregory, the bill’s lead sponsor, cited the case of a woman in Somerset who said she was beaten routinely by an employee while living in an institution for disabled people. The employee was eventually fired but found another job at a facility caring for vulnerable people, Gregory said.
“It is extremely important that this legislation move forward so we can protect our seniors and our disabled citizens who are most vulnerable from those who would seek to do them harm,” said Gregory, R-Monticello.
The measure cleared the Republican-led Senate on a 36-0 vote and now goes to the Democratic-run House. Before the Senate vote, the proposal was endorsed Thursday by top state leaders including Gov. Steve Beshear, House Speaker Greg Stumbo and Senate President Robert Stivers.
“Our senior citizens and their families are counting on us to create this added protection,” Beshear said at a Capitol event touting the proposal.
At least 23 other states have some kind of registry to report abuse of adults, the governor’s office said.
Care providers that would be required to check the registry would include adult day health care programs, assisted-living communities, group homes for people with developmental disabilities, home-health agencies and long-term-care facilities. Providers also could do periodic checks of current employees and volunteers.
“This bill will help screen, to the extent possible, the bad actors out of the system,” said Sen. Ray Jones II, D-Pikeville.
Under the bill, those on the list would have had a “substantiated finding” of adult abuse, neglect or exploitation. The cabinet would determine through a preponderance of evidence that the abuse occurred.
Gregory said the bill includes due process protections to ensure “only people who need to be on this registry end up with their names on that list.”
Those safeguards include administrative hearings and appeals in court, she said.
A similar House bill is sponsored by Democratic Rep. Ruth Ann Palumbo of Lexington.
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The Senate legislation is Senate Bill 98.
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