A legislative committee has approved a Southern Baptist professor's $250,000 state contract to review Kentucky's troubled child welfare system.
The Government Contract Review Committee approved the contract for Daniel Dumas, who is an adoptive parent and a professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville.
The two Democrats on the panel did not vote. They included Democratic state Sen. Julian Carroll, who has criticized Dumas for not being qualified for the position.
Department of Community Based Services Commissioner Adria Johnson told lawmakers the number of children in the state's foster care system increased by 523 in the past three months, putting a total of 8,527 children in the state's care.
Johnson said that increase is putting pressure on state officials and was part of the reason the contract bypassed the usual procurement process.
