Enough is enough: Stop letting KY’s kids pay price for parents who don’t pay child support | Opinion
Every single day in Kentucky, children suffer because of promises adults have broken. They pay the price with fewer opportunities, unmet needs, and uncertainty about their futures. Kentucky has billions of dollars in unpaid child support, money intended to provide stability, security, and hope for the children and families who need it most.
For too long, we’ve allowed this crisis to fester. We’ve seen names written on file after file, and heard every excuse imaginable. But excuses don’t pay the bills. Excuses don’t keep the heat on in the winter or put a child in a pair of shoes that actually fit. And excuses certainly don’t give children the stable foundation they need to succeed.
When I worked in Jefferson County’s Child Support Division after college, I saw this problem up close. Stacks of files filled the desks of caseworkers. Each one represented a child whose basic needs weren’t being met. Later, as a Louisville Metro Council member, I teamed up with my Democratic colleague Denise Bentley to send a strong message: enough is enough. We started the first public release of the names of parents who were not living up to their obligations, and the response was immediate. Payments started pouring in.
Why? Because accountability works.
This is the kind of action we need today. Accountability isn’t a dirty word. It’s about responsibility. Showing children they matter enough for us to step up is the bare minimum we owe them.
Recently, a Kentucky man made national headlines when he was arrested after stepping off a cruise ship. His crime? Owing an enormous sum of unpaid child support. While his case is extreme, it highlights a problem too many families know all too well. For every person making the news, countless others are quietly failing to meet their obligations, leaving children and families to struggle.
The billions currently owed in child support isn’t just a matter of dollars and cents; it’s about children’s futures. It’s about a single parent working two jobs because the child’s other parent refuses to help. It’s about taxpayers footing the bill for public assistance to fill the gap left behind. This isn’t sustainable, and it certainly isn’t fair.
But there’s hope. Change is on the horizon. Starting this July, child support offices in Kentucky will transition to the attorney general’s oversight under Senate Bill 48, a law passed in 2023 to streamline services and strengthen enforcement. This is more than a bureaucratic shift, but an opportunity to reimagine enforcement, streamline processes, and think bigger about solutions.
We need to explore every option. Could we offer incentives for timely payments? Should we publicly shine a spotlight on those who consistently refuse to pay? What tools can we give families to navigate this system with dignity and efficiency?
Child support is not about punishing one parent or enriching another. It’s about providing for kids. It’s about making sure children have what they need to thrive. That’s not just a legal obligation — it’s a moral one.
Every child deserves to feel valued and to know that their needs come first. Kentucky must act now, not for the parents or the state, but for the kids.
Enough is enough. Let’s get to work.
Editor’s Note: The transition of child support enforcement to the Office of the Attorney General is the result of Senate Bill 48, enacted in 2023. The legislation provided a two-year period to develop and implement an effective plan, with the official transfer scheduled for July 2025.
Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, represents Kentucky’s 36th Senate District in eastern Jefferson County.