KENTUCKY — According to recent data, one out of every two Kentucky families struggles to afford diapers, and there is no dedicated support for them as diapers aren’t covered by Medicaid and SNAP.

State Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong, D-Louisville, joined "In Focus Kentucky" to explain why she's continuing her fight to exempt diapers from Kentucky sales tax. 

"This is something that surprises people, that the state of Kentucky taxes diapers," she said. "There's a tax on diapers at a time that increasingly, states are eliminating that tax, but most people don't think that we should be making money off of taxing an essential good. That's one of the reasons that more than one out of every three Kentucky families struggle to afford diapers. If you're someone like me that had two kids in diapers at one time, you know that can be thousands of dollars a year, and there are no dedicated programs to provide assistance."

"You can't pay for diapers with SNAP, with (Women, Infants and Children programs), with Medicaid; families have to make tough choices about affording enough diapers for their children or enough food for their family on the table. What we see in states that get rid of this diaper tax ... it results in families being able to buy more diapers, being able to buy more things that they need for their kids and ultimately keeps kids out of the emergency room for things like diaper rash or other medical complications that happen when you can't afford enough diapers for your child."

"It's something I feel really strongly about. I filed the legislation for three years. I've had really promising bipartisan conversations, and I'm hoping that this will be the year that I can get it across the finish line." 

You can watch the full In Focus Kentucky segment in the player above.