I want to share an important update regarding Jayden’s Law and child protection efforts in Kentucky.

As the 2026 legislative session has begun, lawmakers have introduced House Bill 399, which addresses sexual offenses against children. While I appreciate any effort to strengthen protections for children, HB 399 also highlights a serious and long-standing problem in Kentucky law:

👉 Children ages 13 to 18 are still excluded from the highest level of protection for the most serious sexual crimes.

Under HB 399, rape, sodomy, and sexual abuse are treated as capital offenses only when the victim is under 12 years old. Teenagers — who are still legally children — remain subject to lesser protections and lesser penalties for the same violent acts.

This is exactly the gap Jayden’s Law was written to fix.

There is no legal or moral reason why a child should receive less protection simply because they are older. Trauma does not lessen with age. Abuse does not become less severe. And predators understand and exploit these gaps.

The good news is that Jayden’s Law is now moving forward legislatively, with a state senator committed to filing the bill. Jayden’s Law ensures:

Equal protection for all children under 18
Stronger consequences for the most severe abuse
Closure of custody and visitation loopholes for convicted abusers
Modern protections that reflect how abuse occurs today
Your voices matter. This petition helped bring Jayden’s Law to this point, and it continues to demonstrate that Kentuckians expect equal protection for every child.

For now, I ask you to stay engaged and informed. Once Jayden’s Law is formally filed and assigned a bill number, I will share clear, simple next steps on how you can help support it through the legislative process.

Thank you for standing up for Kentucky’s children.