Committee advances bill requiring child abuse training for animal control officers
Rep. Susan Witten, R-Louisville, speaks on House Bill 246 during Tuesday’s meeting of the House Local Government Committee. A high-resolution photo can be found here.
FRANKFORT — — The House Local Government Committee advanced legislation Tuesday that would require animal control officers to complete training to help recognize signs of child abuse and neglect.
House Bill 246, sponsored by Rep. Susan Witten, R-Louisville, would mandate training for animal control officers to identify physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, as well as neglect. The bill is intended to strengthen Kentucky’s child safety network by equipping more workers to recognize warning signs.
Witten said the legislation is a preventative measure designed to protect vulnerable children.
“This is a simple bill meant to protect children and save lives,” Witten said. “Animal control officers are often the first to witness warning signs like domestic child abuse in the household.”
The legislation is known as “Kyan’s Law,” named after a 10-year-old boy who was killed by his mother. According to testimony, animal control officers had visited the home 24 times in the 18 months leading up to his death.
The training would be available both in person or online and would cover how to recognize and properly report suspected abuse.
Kiera Dunk, a junior at North Oldham High School who worked with Witten on the bill, testified about the connection between animal abuse and child abuse.
She shared research showing that individuals who abuse animals are more likely to abuse children. Dunk also explained that animal control officers are an underutilized resource in identifying abuse because they often encounter young children who are not yet in school and may not interact with mandated reporters such as teachers.
Jill Seyfred, executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky, explained how the training would work and how data would be recorded to better understand trends in child abuse reporting.
“The training will be housed on our website free of charge,” she said. “We will keep track of individuals and counties who are participating so we can report back on the impact the training is having.”
Rep. Sarah Stalker, D-Louisville, asked whether the training would be required annually or just once. Witten said the bill currently requires only a single training.
Rep. Beverly Chester-Burton, D-Shively, asked whether other states had adopted similar measures.
Dunk said many states have implemented comparable training requirements, while Seyfred added that others are watching Kentucky’s approach closely.
“There are also a lot of states who have not adopted this but are showing lots of interest in the effectiveness as well as how we are going to implement it,” Seyfred said.
Several lawmakers also praised Dunk for her advocacy and work bringing attention to the issue at a young age.
House Bill 246 passed 19-0 and now moves to the full House for consideration.