Call to Order and Roll Call
The 11th meeting of the Tobacco Settlement Agreement Fund Oversight Committee was held on Wednesday, December 7, 2016, 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: Representative Wilson Stone, Co-Chair; Senators Carroll Gibson, Paul Hornback, Dennis Parrett, and Whitney Westerfield; Representatives Tom McKee, and Terry Mills.
Guests: Warren Beeler, Executive Director, Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy; Bill McCloskey, Director of Financial Services, Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy; Van Ingram, Executive Director, Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy; Heather Wainscott, Branch Manager, Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy; Amy Andrews, Program Coordinator, Kentucky Agency for Substance Abuse Policy (KY-ASAP); and Representative Dennis Keene.
LRC Staff: Lowell Atchley, Kelly Ludwig, and Marielle Manning.
Upon motion made by Representative McKee and seconded by Representative Mills, the November 2, 2016 minutes were approved by voice vote and without objection.
Co-Chair Representative Stone recognized Senator Gibson, Representative McKee, Representative Mills, and Representative Denham with a citation honoring their time served on the Tobacco Settlement Agreement Fund Oversight Committee.
Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy
Warren Beeler, Executive Director, and Bill McCloskey, Deputy Executive Director, Governor’s Office of Agricultural Policy, presented projects receiving the Agricultural Development Board approval at its November 2016 meeting. These included a school poultry science program, animal composting facility expansion, kenaf processing, on-farm investments, shared-use equipment, and major statewide or regional projects.
The committee received reports on three regional projects: (1) Casey County Board of Education, approved by the board for $13,775 in Casey County funds to purchase materials to expand the existing poultry science program at the Casey County middle and high schools; (2) Large Animal Composting of Kentucky (LACKY), approved by the board for $10,100 in Casey County funds for the expansion of its fallen animal composting site and to purchase sawdust and rock to enlarge the compost pad; and (3) Pumpkin Vine Creek Farm, LLC, approved by the board for $500 in Madison County funds to support kenaf processing by upgrading its ground cover processing equipment.
GOAP officials described two funding denials: (1) WEBHEMPIN_KY, LLC, turned down for $50,000 in State funds and $50,000 in County funds (Bourbon $15,000, Clark $5,000, Fayette $15,000, Harrison $10,000, and Nicholas $5,000) for a mobile hemp oil extraction unit. The board denied this request based on the uncertainty of the hemp status related to the farm bill making the longevity of the project difficult to justify KADF investment; and (2) Crooked River Farms, LLC d/b/a The Kentucky Garden Initiative, turned down for $4,000 in Jefferson, Bullitt and Hardin County funds and $55,850 in State funds to create seven school gardens in Jefferson, Bullitt, and Hardin counties. The board denied this request due to limited producer impact.
GOAP representatives answered committee members’ questions about the three regional projects received by the board in November.
Responding to Representative Stone, GOAP officials explained that the Casey County Board of Education project was one of the first poultry projects in a school.
GOAP representatives answered committee members’ questions about the two denied regional projects received by the board in November.
In response to Representative McKee, GOAP officials stated that hemp production is still in a research/education mode and also an illegal crop at the moment.
Senator Hornback commented that he is optimistic for hemp to become legal and agreed with GOAP officials in that they need to proceed carefully in funding hemp projects.
Representative Mills expressed support for GOAP’s denial of the WEBHEMPIN_KY, LLC project until there is more certainty in hemp production.
Kentucky Agency for Substance Abuse Policy (KY-ASAP)
Van Ingram, Executive Director, Heather Wainscott, Branch Manager, Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy, and Amy Andrews, KY-ASAP Program Coordinator, testified about the Kentucky Agency for Substance Abuse Policy’s (KY-ASAP) use of tobacco settlement funds.
KY-ASAP officials discussed “the nation’s worst drug epidemic in its history” and the accomplishments of KY-ASAP. According to Mr. Ingram, last year, 1,300 Kentuckians died a totally preventable death following a drug overdose. In fiscal year 2017, tobacco settlement funds provided $1.6 million to KY-ASAP. In addition to the tobacco settlement funds, the 2016 budget carryover and money provided by SB 192, KY-ASAP has a revised budget of about $4.7 million in fiscal year 2017. The majority of the budget is put toward KY-ASAP Local Boards, which now exist in 118 of Kentucky’s 120 counties. Tobacco settlement funds have been used recently by local boards primarily for comprehensive drug education/prevention, treatment, and law enforcement programs. About 50 percent of the local board harm reduction expenditures are used to purchase Naloxone, a medication used to treat a narcotic overdose in an emergency. There are several intervention programs available to schools, families, and communities. Other KY-ASAP projects include the implementation of 198 permanent prescription drug disposal boxes, a public information campaign called MyOldMeds Kentucky, a Partnership for a Drug-Free Kentucky, a Drug Free Communities Support Program, and the KyStopOverdoses website.
Responding to Representative Stone, KY-ASAP officials stated tobacco settlement funds provided about $1.24 million in fiscal year 2016 and about $1.6 million for fiscal year 2017.
In response to Senator Parrett, KY-ASAP was able to put more money towards its media presence in fiscal year 2017 because of the money provided by SB 192.
Responding to Representative Keene, KY-ASAP representatives said they believe to see less and less heroin in the future. However, fentanyl and fentanyl analogs from Asia are new chemical drugs causing massive numbers of overdoses, as some are 100 times more powerful than heroin. KY-ASAP officials stated the threat they face is ever changing.
In response to Representative McKee, KY-ASAP officials stated that the country’s drug epidemic has been two decades in the making. The United States has five percent of the world’s population but uses 99 percent of the world’s hydrocodone combination products. The U.S. uses 82 percent of the world’s oxycodone products. A person is five times more likely to enter treatment if involved in a needle exchange program.
Responding to Representative Mills, KY-ASAP representatives explained that the Justice Cabinet and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services are creating a peer support program for users.
Responding to Representative Stone, KY-ASAP officials stated that the landscape is always changing, but the Kentucky General Assembly has had great interest in passing bills that deal with substance use.
Documents distributed during the meeting are available with meeting material in the LRC Library. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.