Gov. Beshear Provides Team Kentucky Update

FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 12, 2026) - Today, Gov. Andy Beshear provided updates on Developmental Disabilities Month, the Kentucky Main Street program, bridge improvement projects, Kidney Month, the independent report from the Office of the Inspector General on the state's foster care system, child predator arrests and grants to make Kentucky homes safer from severe weather. The Governor also highlighted Kentucky basketball teams playing in conference tournaments and named them as this week's Team Kentucky All-Stars.

Developmental Disabilities Month
The Governor was joined by representatives from the Commonwealth Council on Developmental Disabilities to recognize March as Developmental Disabilities Month in Kentucky.

"There are over 385,200 Kentuckians living with developmental disabilities," said Gov. Beshear. "Folks with developmental disabilities deserve equal opportunities in health care, education, housing and more. And for folks who interact with the world a little differently, we need to take that extra step to make things, like public spaces, accessible for them. We must commit to continuing our work to build a better Kentucky for all our people, because every single person in our commonwealth should have the support they need to thrive."

Kentucky Main Street Program
The Governor announced that Kentucky Main Street program communities finished 2025 strong, reporting a total investment of $75.6 million in downtown commercial districts, resulting in 395 new jobs and 72 new businesses.

Bridge Improvement Projects
Gov. Beshear announced nearly $6.5 million for 10 critical bridge projects across eight Kentucky counties and two cities. The funding, from the County and City Bridge Improvement Program, will help Kentuckians get where they need to go quicker and more safely through repairs, replacements and reopenings of locally owned bridges.

Kidney Month
The Governor was joined by representatives from the National Kidney Foundation to recognize March as Kidney Month in Kentucky. More than 1 in 7 American adults suffer from chronic kidney disease - and as many as 9 in 10 do not know they have it. Kidney disease can be caused by diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity or other health conditions. The Governor encouraged Kentuckians who have these conditions, a family history of kidney disease or are over 60 to regularly check in with their doctor about their kidney health. The Governor also encouraged Kentuckians to consider signing up to be an organ donor, as over 94,000 Americans across the country are waiting for a lifesaving kidney transplant.

Office of Inspector General Foster Care Report
Today, Gov. Beshear announced that the Kentucky Finance and Administration Cabinet's Office of the Inspector General (FAC OIG) has completed an independent investigation into the state's Department of Community Based Services' (DCBS) Out of Home Care (OOHC), commonly referred to as foster care.

The OIG's findings show that DCBS prioritizes longer-term, traditional placements for children in OOHC and that non-traditional placements (NTPs) are rare and only account for 1-2% of cases due to the specific needs of a child and a nationwide shortage of high acuity facilities that provide specialized care. This is a nationwide problem and Kentucky's NTP stays are often shorter and less frequent than other states, with only 1-2% of children requiring NTP for slightly longer than two days on average. In more than 50% of cases, the length of stay in NTP in Kentucky was 24 hours or less.

Child Predator Arrests
The Governor highlighted important work by the Kentucky State Police (KSP) Electronic Crime Branch in arresting child predators. In February and early March, the branch made seven major arrests of individuals accused of trying to exploit children online. This includes a man in Glendale for attempting to procure a minor in Indiana online; a man in Greensburg for possessing child sex abuse materials; a man in Bourbon County for sodomy, procuring a minor online and possessing child sex abuse materials; a man in Casey County for possession and distribution of child sex abuse materials; a man in Calloway County for procuring a minor online and possessing child sex abuse materials; a man in Frankfort for 20 counts related to child sex abuse material and procuring a minor online; and a man in Murray for possessing child sex abuse materials.

These arrests were thanks to undercover investigations by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

"Each of these arrests will help keep our children safer, with the most serious of these crimes being punishable by up to 20 years behind bars," said Gov. Beshear. "Our Electronic Crime Branch is making sure our kids can live in a state that protects them in any way we can. To those individuals who try to harm our children in these heinous ways, know that we will find you and that you will be held accountable."

Strengthen Kentucky Homes Program
Gov. Beshear announced the Strengthen Kentucky Homes Program is open and taking homeowner applications. The new program provides qualified Kentucky homeowners with grants up to $10,000 to help fortify their roofs and protect against extreme wind and hail events.

Team Kentucky All-Stars
The Governor highlighted Kentucky basketball teams that are in the running for the 2026 NCAA Tournament and named them as this week's Team Kentucky All-Stars. The women's teams include the University of Kentucky Wildcats, University of Louisville Cardinals and Murray State University Racers. The men's teams include the UK Wildcats, UofL Cardinals and Western Kentucky University Hilltoppers.

"Good luck to all these players and coaches as they represent our commonwealth," said Gov. Beshear. "Remember, no matter who you root for, they're all part of Team Kentucky."

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