Kentucky is leading the national conversation on Food is Medicine. Sen. @FunkeShelley shared Kentucky’s approach at Tufts University’s 4th Annual Food is Medicine National Summit, highlighting SJR 23 and efforts to connect agriculture, health care and nutrition to improve health outcomes. Kentucky is building a healthier future for its people while creating new opportunities for rural prosperity and lifestyle changes. Here are a few clips from yesterdays' livestream. #KYGA26 #FoodIsMedecine

ADAMS’ EARLIER REFORMS PROVIDE FOUNDATION FOR CALLAWAY PROPOSAL ON INCARCERATED MATERNAL CARE Health Services Committee examines proposal to strengthen reporting and oversight of prenatal and postpartum care FRANKFORT, Ky. (Oct. 20, 2026)—A proposal to improve care for incarcerated mothers and their babies brought lawmakers back to an issue Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, has championed since 2018. Tuesday’s Interim Joint Committee on Health Services meeting examined how better reporting could help ensure existing protections are being carried out. Rep. Emily Callaway, R-Louisville, presented 2027 Regular Session Bill Request 425 alongside representatives of the Reason Foundation and Louisville Metro Department of Corrections. The preliminary proposal would standardize reporting and auditing of prenatal and postpartum care across correctional facilities. “The circumstances that bring a woman into custody do not diminish her need for care or her hopes for her child,” Adams said. “That has guided my work from the beginning. We have a responsibility to protect the health of both mother and baby and to treat women with dignity during a particularly vulnerable time in their lives.” Adams sponsored Senate Bill 133 in 2018, known as the Dignity Bill, which passed with bipartisan support. The law established requirements for adequate nutrition for pregnant women in jail and hygiene products for women in custody. It also strengthened protections against the use of restraints during pregnancy, labor, transport for delivery and postpartum recovery. She expanded those protections through Senate Bill 84 in 2021. The law established access to community programs and social workers to help mothers plan for their babies’ care and required facilities to allow newborns to remain with their mothers for up to 72 hours after birth unless a medical professional identifies a health or safety risk. It also prohibited restrictive housing for medical observation during pregnancy and the immediate postpartum period. Callaway acknowledged Adams and other lawmakers for their work on maternal care, emphasizing that those efforts must include women in correctional facilities. “They found themselves in the care of our correctional facilities, and we have a duty to ensure they too are cared for and that the baby has a fighting chance even before his and her first breath,” Callaway said. Reason Foundation policy analyst Layal Bou Harfouch cited Adams’ earlier laws while explaining that gaps in publicly available, comparable information make it difficult to assess their implementation. The proposed framework would track care from the identification of pregnancy through delivery and postpartum recovery. The need for better information has also drawn national scrutiny. A 2025 Bloomberg Law and NBC News investigation found that at least 22 states did not track pregnancy outcomes in jails. Kentucky’s earlier work is featured in Justice Action Network’s national “Women Unshackled” case study, which identifies Adams’ 2018 Dignity Bill as the first of its kind. Louisville Metro corrections officials outlined their practices, including pregnancy screening, obstetric care, substance use treatment and postpartum support. They also discussed connecting women with community care after release. “I appreciate Rep. Callaway carrying this work forward and the medical and corrections professionals helping us understand what care looks like day to day,” Adams said. “Our earlier laws established important protections. Consistent reporting can help us see whether women are receiving that care and where more attention is needed. We owe it to these mothers and their babies to follow through.” Callaway emphasized that the proposal remains preliminary and open for discussion ahead of Kentucky’s 30-day 2027 Regular Session, which begins January 5. ###

Congratulations, Sen. @FunkeShelley! Thank you to @KyLeagueCities for recognizing her work to support Kentucky cities and combat human trafficking. #kyga26

Sen. Meredith is next co-chairing Health Services at 1

A mile and a half matters when it’s on the road you use to travel home everyday. The new stretch of U.S. 421 near Cranks gives Harlan County drivers a safer route near the Virginia state line. As the community celebrates, the late Sen. Johnnie Turner deserves a place in the story. Turner was a staunch advocate for this project and pushed for the construction funding included in the General Assembly’s 2024 road plan. He isn’t with us to see this ribbon-cutting, but his work helped bring this day about. Harlan County is now represented by Sen. Scott Madon, who was in attendance for the ribbon cutting. This opening is a welcome milestone for the people he serves and a lasting reminder of Turner’s commitment to his neighbors.

.@MikeNemes38 is back at the top of the hour with State Government

.@MikeNemes38 is kicking off our week of meetings with Local Government

There’s something about Kentucky that stays with you. Maybe it’s the rolling hills or mountaintops that greet you on the drive home. It may be the familiar faces in a small-town restaurant or a neighbor who shows up before you even have to send an invite. It could be that quiet pride that comes from knowing you’re part of a place with a story deserving of sharing. For a lot of us right now, it may be football. 😁 Our commonwealth has never been defined by any one landscape or industry, because we have such diversity in both. Kentucky is best defined by its traditions and its values, but more importantly, its people who have built their lives here, by birthright or by choice, and the generations who came before us and the promise we’re working to leave those who come next. Kentucky became the nation’s 15th state in 1792. More than two centuries later, that same pioneering spirit lives on in communities across all 120 counties. On National Kentucky Day, we’re celebrating the place we’re fortunate to call home and the people who make it unlike anywhere else. Happy National Kentucky Day! 💙

A little more time with the people you love. Another birthday to celebrate. Good news from the doctor. A quiet morning that suddenly feels anything but ordinary. For families who have faced breast cancer, moments like these can mean the world. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and while it’s a time to remember those we’ve lost, it’s also a time to celebrate just how much life there is to look forward to. There are survivors making new memories, patients finding reasons to smile on difficult days and families holding on to hope. There are doctors, nurses, researchers and loved ones helping make more of those moments possible. There’s good reason to keep looking forward. Advances in screening and treatment have helped save lives, and every conversation that encourages someone to take their health seriously matters. So this October, celebrate the milestones, big and small. Encourage someone you love to talk with their doctor about screening. Reach out to a friend who’s going through treatment. And if breast cancer has touched your family, know that your story matters. Here’s to more birthdays, more good news and countless little moments worth celebrating. 🎀 #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth q

A major step forward for healthcare in Central Kentucky! 🏥 The @universityofky is breaking ground on a new $275 million medical facility at Hamburg, bringing expanded healthcare services closer to the families and communities who depend on them. Sen. @AmandaMBledsoe, vice chair of the Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee, joined the celebration and highlighted the General Assembly’s role in moving this project forward and what it means for the patients served. Through House Bill 500, lawmakers authorized UK to prioritize the Hamburg Medical Park project, an investment in expanding access to care as central Kentucky continues to grow. 🎥 Hear Sen. Bledsoe’s remarks on what this milestone means for the region in the clip below from @KET ‘Kentucky Edition.’