Two bills addressing childrens’ health pass Kentucky Senate

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WTVQ) – Two bills addressing children’s health passed in the Kentucky Senate on Tuesday.

Senate Bill 45 would require licensed childcare centers to meet the most recent version of the U.S. Agriculture Department’s food and nutrition standards. A second nutrition provision would set standards for sugary drinks.

The bill would also require childcare centers to meet physical activity and screen time standards.

In other activity from the Senate floor, a spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) screening bill also cleared the chamber with a 34-0 vote.

That measure, known as Senate Bill 60, would require the screening for newborns.

Republican Senator Jimmy Higdon, of Lebanon, is the bill’s sponsor. He says the Food and Drug Administration recently approved gene therapy for children under two who have infantile-onset SMA. The therapy has improved muscle movement, function and survival of children who receive an early diagnosis, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Both bills now go to the House for consideration.