Call to Order and Roll Call
The meeting of the Tobacco Settlement Agreement Fund Oversight Committee was held on Wednesday, August 5, 2015, at 10:00 AM, in Room 129 of the Capitol Annex. Representative Wilson Stone, Chair, called the meeting to order, and the secretary called the roll.
Present were:
Members: Senator C.B. Embry Jr., Co-Chair; Representative Wilson Stone, Co-Chair; Senators Carroll Gibson, Paul Hornback, and Whitney Westerfield; Representatives Mike Denham, Tom McKee, Terry Mills, Ryan Quarles, and Jonathan Shell.
Guests: Mr. Roger Thomas, Mr. Joel Neaveill, Mr. Bill McCloskey, Ms. Angela Blank, Mr. Brian Murphy, and Dr. Luther Hughes, Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy; Ms. Terry Tolan, Governor’s Office of Early Childhood.
LRC Staff: Kelly Ludwig, Stefan Kasacavage, and Kelly Blevins.
The July 1, 2015 minutes were approved by voice vote upon motion by Senator Embry and second by Representative McKee.
Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy
Mr. Roger Thomas, Executive Director, Mr. Joel Neaveill, Chief of Staff, and Mr. Bill McCloskey, Director of Financial Services, Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy (GOAP), testified about project funding decisions made by the Agricultural Development Board (ADB) during its July meeting.
Mr. Neaveill discussed tobacco settlement funding allocations for the previous months under the County Agricultural Improvement (CAIP), Deceased Farm Animal, and Shared-use Equipment programs.
In answer to Co-Chair Stone, Mr. Neaveill explained he was uncertain as to why Hopkins County Farm Bureau of Hopkins County cost share request was 75 percent/25 percent, rather than the typical 50/50 match.
After an update on program amendments, the GOAP representatives turned to the projects approved for regional or statewide funding at the previous board meeting.
The first project funded by the board was that of the Breeding Area Volunteer Fire Department, Incorporated, approved for $935 in county funds to purchase specialized rescue equipment for grain bin emergencies.
A number of committee members were complimentary of the board for funding this project and spoke on the impact that projects such as this have on keeping Kentucky’s farming communities safe.
Other approved projects funded by the board was that of the Metcalfe County 4-H Council, Incorporated, approved for $3,800 in county funds to purchase hams for 4-H/FFA members to participate in the Country Ham Project; Magoffin County 4-H, approved for $1,987 in county funds to purchase a ham curing facility; Green River Area Beef Improvement Group, Inc., approved for $20,000 in county funds for the Youth Cost-Share Program; Taylor County Cattlemen’s Association, Inc., approved for $10,000 in county funds to continue the heifer chain program for beef and dairy cattle; and Pulaski County Fiscal Court, approved for $36,067 in county funds to purchase a new deceased farm animal disposal truck.
In response to Representative McKee, Mr. Thomas stated he would research the number of counties receiving funding for deceased farm animal programs.
Mr. Neaveill discussed one pending project, Daviess County Fiscal Court requesting $55,000 in county funds for Phase II of a Storm Water Master Plan.
Early Childhood Development Initiative
Ms. Terry Tolan, Executive Director of the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood, updated the committee on the Early Childhood Development Initiative and the Early Childhood Advisory Council.
In her report, Ms. Tolan detailed the importance of early childhood investments including: brain development, language acquisition, kindergarten readiness, third grade reading levels, high school graduation and college and career readiness. Ms. Tolan stated 80 percent of brain development occurs by the age of three. In 2000, Kentucky Invests in Developing Success (KIDS NOW) created The Early Childhood Development Authority. 25 percent of tobacco settlement funds were committed to early childhood. In 2014, Kentucky received a federal $44.3 million Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge grant in an effort to prepare Kentucky’s children for kindergarten and academic success. In 2014, only 50 percent of Kentucky’s children were prepared for kindergarten during the statewide kindergarten readiness screening. Ms. Tolan stated that more than 24,500 children were unprepared to enter kindergarten. The Race to the Top-Early Learning Challenge provides funding for the All-STARS program and will expand the current STARS for KIDS NOW rating system which is to be implemented in 2017.
In response to Senator Westerfield, Ms. Tolan stated there are plans in place to sustain the All-STARS program and steps to ensure the investments are paying off. Ms. Tolan stated that having more qualified staff and better staff-to-student ratios does cost more and the state plans to craft a rewards system to alleviate some of those expenses. Funding for the rewards system is expected to come from Race to the Top funds. Ms. Tolan stated increased reimbursement for quality programs that serve low-income children, access to scholarships and discounts on classroom products are being considered as a part of the rewards system.
In response to Representative Denham, Ms. Tolan explained counties seeking to establish a born learning academy can go through an application process or raise program funding at the local level.
Document distributed during the meeting are available with meeting materials in the LRC Library. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.