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HCR 20

Tustin Brothers Memorial Bridge

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Trenton Barnhart and 8 co-sponsors

Directs a statewide study to map SANE access in emergency care, identify coverage gaps and barriers, and propose options to boost forensic care for sexual assault victims.

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Bill Summary · HCR 20

Summary — HCR 20 (Concurrent Resolution): Study of Access to Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs)

Note: The full text provided for HCR 20 directs a study of access to Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs). (There is conflicting metadata at the top of the packet that references a different ceremonial designation; this summary is based on the substantive resolution text provided.)

Purpose

Directs the Legislative Research Commission (LRC) staff to conduct a statewide study of access to Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) in emergency care settings. The study is intended to identify geographic and operational gaps in SANE coverage, barriers to access, and policy options to improve care for sexual assault victims.

Key provisions / required study elements

LRC staff, consulting with the Sexual Assault Response Team Advisory Committee (KRS 403.707), must analyze — to the extent data are available — all of the following:

  1. Geographical gaps in SANE coverage by hospitals.
  2. Barriers to filling those geographic gaps.
  3. Geographic distribution of credentialed SANE A/A (adult/adolescent) and SANE P/A (pediatric/adolescent) nurses.
  4. Number of credentialed SANE A/As and P/As employed full‑time in emergency care and the hospitals that employ them.
  5. Number of hospitals that employ a SANE full‑time and the hospital department of employment.
  6. Number of hospitals with full‑time SANEs that hold a “SANE‑ready” designation.
    7–8. Number of hospitals that contract for SANE on‑call services, and how many of those are SANE‑ready.
  7. Barriers hospitals face in obtaining SANE‑ready designation.
  8. For each of the preceding five years:
    • Number of sexual violence victims transferred/referrals between emergency departments for completion of a sexual assault forensic examination (reason for transfer, county).
    • Number of sexual assault forensic examinations (SAFE) completed at each hospital, the credentials of the person completing each SAFE, and whether a rape crisis center advocate was contacted as required by 502 KAR 12:010.

The required report must include: problem description; detailed data analysis; discussion of unavailable data; and policy options to improve data collection and increase access to credentialed SANEs.

Timeline and procedural aspects

  • The completed study report is to be submitted to the Legislative Research Commission for referral to the Interim Joint Committee on Health Services and the Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary no later than December 1, 2025.
  • The LRC may alternatively assign the issues to an interim joint committee or subcommittee and may designate a different study completion date.

Data points noted in the resolution

  • As of 2024: 449 credentialed SANE A/As and 41 credentialed SANE P/As.
  • Kentucky has six training centers for the SANE A/A credential and two for SANE P/A.
  • There are 22 hospitals with a SANE‑ready designation (some may not have more than one SANE available 24/7).
  • The resolution references the SAFE Act of 2016 and related statewide improvements (e.g., SAFE kit tracking portal, increased trainings).

Who is affected / likely impacts

  • Primary: hospital emergency departments, credentialed and prospective SANEs, sexual assault victims seeking forensic and trauma‑informed care, rape crisis centers/advocates.
  • Secondary: law enforcement, prosecutors, public health and regulatory agencies, and state policymakers.
  • Potential impact: identification of coverage gaps and actionable policy options (staffing, training capacity, hospital designation processes, data collection improvements), which could inform legislation, funding requests, or administrative changes to improve timely, trauma‑informed forensic care for sexual assault victims statewide.

Status / Legislative action

  • The text indicates the resolution was enacted as Acts Chapter 7 and signed by the Governor (signed March 12, 2025, per the document). The report deadline is December 1, 2025.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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