LRC News Releases
Committee members hear testimony on EPA standards
Rep. Steven Doan, R-Erlanger, asks a question about youth mental health and crime trends during Thursday’s Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary meeting. A high-resolution photo can be found here.
FRANKFORT — During Thursday’s meeting of the Interim Joint Committee on Natural Resources and Energy, members heard testimony about the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s rule on greenhouse gas standards and guidelines for coal-fired power plants.
A state Department for Environmental Protection official, an attorney with experience in environmental law and an attorney from Kentucky’s Office of the Attorney General offered comments. Lawmakers questioned how the rules would affect new and existing power plants that run on coal, oil or gas.
Allison D. Wood, a partner at the McGuireWoods law firm, said many states are opposing the rule, but others support it.
“This is in fact a final rule. It is being litigated vigorously by not just states, but also many industry parties,” she said. “There are 27 states that are challenging the final greenhouse gas rule, including the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and there are 22 states that are defending it.”
Committee Co-Chair Rep. Jim Gooch Jr., R-Providence, said affordability and reliability could be affected soon “if we continue on the current path.”
He said he doubts the rule would be attainable, and the state is being forced to switch from coal to other energy sources.
“We still have a lot of unanswered questions. The problem that we have is that with the new rule – the things that they’re talking about – 90% sequestration of carbon dioxide is probably not possible, certainly not feasible. It’s not something that can be done as far as cost is concerned,” Gooch said.
Like Gooch, Committee Co-Chair Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, said he’s also a skeptic.
Smith said he was on a clean air task force in China before the Olympics, and the Chinese government sought “blue sky days,” when the air is cleaned up so the sky can be viewed.
“When I was there with the task force, every single industry we went to couldn’t wait to get past the preliminaries and introductions so they could show us their new generators that they had purchased in America,” Smith said. “And so, they would use their quota from the government. As soon as they reached their 10,000 megawatts or whatever they had, they would fire up these generators which would cause pollution at a different level than I think China had ever dreamed would happen.”
Wood said the rule would put energy producers in a tough spot by creating standards that aren’t achievable. Producers will look to retire plants rather than break the law, she said.
Anthony “Tony” Hatton, commissioner of the state’s Department for Environmental Protection, said the federal rule requires Kentucky to submit a state implementation plan for the new rule in 2026.
“Intuition, no value judgment, but intuition says that there will be impacts, potential impacts to current and future electric generation,” he said.
Hatton said property would need to be set aside for carbon sequestration, and issues would arise with private landowners. In some states, there might be issues surrounding surface rights and minerals rights – a process that could become extremely complicated, he said.
The rule potentially forces state officials to choose between meeting requirements of the Clean Air Act or providing electricity as required by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Hatton said.
Rep. John Blanton, R-Salyersville, asked Hatton about facilities across the state and summed up what could happen due to the standards and guidelines.
“Because of these regulations that they’re pushing down, we’ve going to end up losing some plants or some partial plants, and we’re going to increase rates for our customers across the commonwealth and weaken our power grid is what I’m hearing from all this. It just all comes into play,” he said.
Lawmakers discuss juvenile justice trends, solutions
Rep. Steven Doan, R-Erlanger, asks a question about youth mental health and crime trends during Thursday’s Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary meeting. A high-resolution photo can be found here.
FRANKFORT — Teen mental health and staffing issues at detention facilities were discussed during a presentation on juvenile justice issues given to lawmakers Thursday.
The Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary heard from Nina Salomon, deputy division director for the Corrections and Reentry Justice Center with The Council for State Governments (CSG).
CSG’s national data shows the number of incarcerated youth declined by 70% from 2000 to 2022, and youth arrests for violent offenses remain historically low, she said. However, there has been a post-pandemic increase in youth arrests for homicide and weapons, resulting in a concurrent increase in youth victimization.
“We’ve definitely heard a concern around youth violence and youth gun violence in particular,” Salomon said. “While youth gun violence remains historically low – a decline of about 54% from 2000 to 2022 – it’s still a long-standing problem, and one that we know deserves further attention and more targeted attention.”
In Kentucky, Salomon said the data shows behavioral health needs are a significant driver of justice involvement.
Students in Kentucky report various ways of experiencing trauma, she said, adding that “23% of Kentucky high school students reported ever seeing someone get physically attacked, beaten, stabbed or shot in their neighborhood.”
Although the current data is alarming, Salomon said it also shows arrests have declined significantly since 2010.
“This is a testament to the great work that folks in Kentucky across the board have done over the last several years to reform the front end of the juvenile justice system, and keep kids out of the juvenile justice system who don’t need to be there, especially since the passage of that reform bill about a decade ago,” Salomon said.
CSG’s national data also showed more female students reported feeling “sad or hopeless” in the last year than male students. Rep. Steven Doan, R-Erlanger, asked how the youth crime data reflects those statistics.
“Are we seeing a proportional increase based on that and offenses related to young women as opposed to young men? And if so, how are facilities changing or moving towards addressing young women, particularly with respect to housing as opposed to young men?” Doan asked.
Salomon said males tend to commit more serious offenses than females, who are more likely to commit non-person offenses that are rooted in experiencing behavioral health issues and abuse. She suggested looking deeper at the system as a whole and how it addresses the different needs of females and males experiencing trauma and behavioral health problems.
Rep. Keturah Herron, D-Louisville, said the presentation showed 62% of committed youth are status offenders or committed a non-person or technical violation. She asked Salomon what are some solutions to those issues.
Salomon said some states have passed laws that say youth cannot be detained or incarcerated for certain technical violations or they have created graduated response matrices.
Staffing issues at juvenile justice centers was another issue lawmakers wanted to discuss with Salomon. Rep. Nima Kulkarni, D-Louisville, asked what the top reasons were for retention issues.
COVID-19 changing the way younger people experience the workforce, pay, training, and safety were among the top reasons, Salomon said.
Rep. Kimberly Poore Moser, R-Taylor Mill, said prevention and programming are topics the legislature has discussed before.
“I think we need to look into things like better training and mobile crisis response, early assessment, as for that sort of thing upon intake and really see what it is kids need,” she said.
Education committee discusses DEI efforts at universities
Senate Minority Caucus Chair Reginald Thomas, D-Lexington, speaks during Tuesday’s Interim Joint Committee on Education meeting. A high-resolution photo can be found here.
FRANKFORT — Legislators on the Interim Joint Committee on Education offered a variety of viewpoints Tuesday about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in Kentucky higher education.
Committee Co-Chair Sen. Stephen West, R-Paris, said bills related to DEI programs were filed in both the House and Senate during the 2024 legislative session.
“We felt that if we were going to broach the subject, if this subject was going to be addressed again, that we should have all the information available to us, and we should have a thorough understanding of what all our postsecondary institutions were doing as it pertains to DEI,” he said.
Presidents of two state universities, a representative from a constitutional advocacy center, and two officials from the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) were on hand to testify and answer lawmakers’ questions.
Travis Powell, vice president and general counsel for CPE, said the Office for Civil Rights found Kentucky in violation of the Civil Rights Act in 1982 due to racial segregation in higher education. CPE was tasked at that time with responding to the U.S. Department of Education’s desegregation plan.
Kentucky was released from the plan in 2008, “which was a great accomplishment for the state.” Powell said. “But we still had this legislation in place in order to set equal educational opportunity goals. So, in 2010, the council created a new diversity plan, and then in 2016, we created a DEI policy that was integrated into our strategic agenda.”
Powell said CPE sets targets for supporting low-income and underrepresented minority students and evaluates campuses based on their progress toward those targets. However, he said, CPE does not set quotas.
“No one student is discriminated against based on any of our policies that we have in place,” he said, adding that state universities maintain high admission rates. “We are not about turning anybody away on our campuses at all.”
Cady Short-Thompson, president of Northern Kentucky University, and Jay Morgan, president of Morehead State University, also testified about DEI policies on campus.
Short-Thompson said NKU spent 0.34% of its budget on programs and activities related to DEI in fiscal year 2024.
Morgan testified that MSU does not require diversity statements from job applicants, require DEI training or use race-based admissions for students.
Lawmakers asked the presenters about several DEI-related issues, including campus pronoun policies, affinity groups and how DEI has impacted academic standing.
Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield, noted that, even though Morehead serves a high-number of low-income students, it has not always met CPE’s targets for DEI. She asked if the campus has been affected by CPE’s scoring process.
Morgan said MSU did not meet the diversity goals one time out of the past seven years. However, he added that it can be hard for MSU to meet the diversity goals while supporting the region. Half of the institution’s students qualify as low-income, placing serious demands on funding and resources, he said.
“We do not let diversity take a back seat with respect to the CPE state plan,” he said. “However, there have been some times when we have gently disagreed with some of the metrics that were in there.”
Timothy K. Minella, senior constitutionalism fellow at the Goldwater Institute’s Van Sittert Center for Constitutional Advocacy, testified that CPE annually scores institutions based on DEI metrics.
“Through this annual process, CPE essentially threatens public institutions, ‘get on board with racial discrimination and DEI practices or lose the ability to expand your academic offerings to serve students,’” he said.
Senate Minority Caucus Chair Reginald Thomas, D-Lexington, said his grandmother once told him that there were only three or four other Black students when she attended the University of Kentucky in 1955.
He asked Minella if he wanted to return UK to the 1950s or if he had something else in mind that wasn’t included in the report Minella shared with committee members.
Minella said the intent is to prohibit racial discrimination in public institutions of higher education, both in admissions and hiring
House Majority Whip Jason Nemes, R-Middletown, said conservatives do themselves a disservice in conflating efforts to help people who have been harmed historically, whether it be redlining, poverty or something else.
“What I think we should be hyper focused on is making sure we have intellectual diversity, and making sure that we attack the places in our university that are going after the institutions of western civilization and trying to change our culture like we’ve seen all over the country this past year,” he said.
West said the committee will continue to discuss DEI and hear from state universities in September.
Interim committee hears update on electric vehicle charging program
Rep. Tom Smith, R-Corbin, asks if a reduction in electric vehicle production is going to slow down the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program rollout. The discussion was part of Tuesday’s Interim Joint Committee on Transportation meeting. A high-resolution photo can be found here.
FRANKFORT — In 2022, the federal government granted Kentucky $69.5 million to install electric vehicle charging stations across the state by 2027.
On Tuesday, the Interim Joint Committee on Transportation heard testimony from John Moore, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet assistant state highway engineer, on the project’s progress.
The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program (NEVI) is funded by the federal 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Moore said the program is focused on building out the alternative fuels corridor, which includes all interstates and parkways.
In order to receive funding, charging stations are required to be within 50 miles of each other, within a mile of the corridor and publicly available 24/7. The charging stations must also be able to support four simultaneously charging vehicles at 150 kilowatts.
To date, Moore said the state has awarded two RFPs and $27.2 million to build 42 charging sites.
“Once these are completely built out, travelers will have access to 168 chargers conveniently located along Kentucky’s primary corridors,” Moore said.
Committee co-chair Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, asked if a match is required to receive a grant from the program. Moore said it is a reimbursement program.
“Whatever expenditures they have that qualify for the NEVI program, we will reimburse 80% of that,” he added.
Some of the new charging stations will be operational soon. Eleven charging sites should become operational this year with another 21 operational next calendar year, Moore said.
“We’re optimistic that we’ll be able to achieve build out certification in 2026,” Moore said, adding once the federal requirements are met along the corridor, the program will be able to expand beyond the corridor.
Rep. Tom Smith, R-Corbin, asked if the Transportation Cabinet is planning to slow down the rollout of the program due to reports of manufacturers cutting back on production of electric vehicles.
“Are you aware of any downtrend in the electric vehicle use? I’ve heard manufacturers say they’re going back to the hybrid system and not fully electric,” he said.
Moore said the cabinet does not plan on scaling back the rollout of the charging stations. He also said although he’s not fully “dialed-in” to what is going on in the electric vehicle industry, he knows dependable infrastructure is important for vehicle production.
“Part of the suppression of demand is the lack of dependability traveling long-distances,” Moore added. “Right now, you almost have to plot your course out on a map to figure out if you can make it … This is ideally going to break the logjam and provide that dependable infrastructure.”
New laws set to take effect in Kentucky next week
New laws passed during the 2024 legislative session will take effect on July 15. A high-resolution photo can be found here.
FRANKFORT — A battery of new state laws will take effect in Kentucky next week, including key measures on crime, autonomous vehicles, maternal health and child protection.
The Kentucky General Assembly passed more than 200 bills during the 60-day session, and most will become effective on Monday.
The Kentucky Constitution specifies that new laws take effect 90 days after the adjournment of the legislature unless they have special effective dates, are general appropriation measures, or include emergency clauses that make them effective immediately upon becoming law.
The general assembly adjourned the 2024 session on April 15, making July 15 the effective date for most bills.
Some of the measures set to take effect include:
Adoption Records: House Bill 87 will allow some family members to inspect adoption records if they are related to someone who was adopted or to the birth parents who gave up a child for adoption. The records can only be inspected after both birth parents or the adoptee have passed away.
Animal Abuse: House Bill 258 seeks to strengthen state laws against torturing a dog or cat. That includes stiffer penalties for first-time offenders, who could face a class D felony rather than a misdemeanor charge under the bill.
Autonomous Vehicles: House Bill 7 creates a legal framework in state statute for operating autonomous vehicles in Kentucky. The bill will take effect July 15 except for one section related to platoons of vehicles, which does not take effect until August 2026.
Capitol Statues: House Bill 513 requires the Historic Properties Advisory Commission to receive approval from the Kentucky General Assembly before adding or removing any statues, monuments or art on permanent display in the Capitol rotunda.
Child Care Subsidies: Senate Bill 240 clarifies that foster parents who work remotely can receive child care subsidies.
Child Protection: House Bill 278 will ramp up the criminal penalties for offenders who sexually abuse, assault or exploit children. The bill also seeks to prevent people convicted of sex crimes or violent felonies from working in public schools. Another provision in the final bill will require age verification to access adult websites.
Child Sex Dolls: House Bill 207 creates felony penalties for possessing, trafficking, importing or promoting the use of a child sex doll. It also expands laws against child pornography to include computer-generated images of an identifiable minor.
Civics Education: House Bill 535 calls on the Kentucky Board of Education to create academic standards for civic literacy in high schools. That includes lessons on America's founding, the U.S. Constitution, principles of government and civil liberties, among others.
Crime Victims: Senate Bill 319 calls for the Crime Victims Compensation Board to make its application process available online, to publish the application in additional languages, and to establish a tracking process for claims. It also clarifies who is eligible to file claims and extends the deadline to file claims.
Cursive Handwriting: Senate Bill 167 calls for elementary schools to teach cursive handwriting and ensure that students are proficient in cursive by the end of the fifth grade.
Emissions Standards: Senate Bill 215 forbids state agencies from adopting or enforcing California's emission standards on motor vehicles.
Firearms: House Bill 357 forbids government agencies from creating a list of privately owned firearms – or their owners – unless the information relates to a criminal investigation. The bill also prevents credit card companies from creating unique merchant codes for gun stores.
Foster Care: Senate Bill 151 allows family members who take temporary custody of a relative's child to apply to become a relative or fictive kin foster parent. That will help them access more state resources and support.
Gas Stations: House Bill 581 prevents local governments from passing or enforcing rules that treat retail gas stations differently from electric vehicle charging stations.
Health Care Background Checks: Senate Bill 145 will allow health care providers enrolled in the Medicaid program to conduct employee background checks through Kentucky's child and adult abuse registries.
Health Care Liability: House Bill 159 protects health care providers from criminal liability when a medical error harms a patient. The bill exempts harm resulting from gross negligence or wanton, willful, malicious or intentional misconduct.
Juvenile Offenders: Senate Bill 20 seeks to curb youth gun violence. Among several provisions, it clears the way for juveniles to stand trial as adults if they use a firearm in the commission of certain felonies and they are at least 15 years old.
Kratom: House Bill 293 aims to regulate kratom, an herbal drug frequently sold online and in convenience stores. The bill prohibits sales to people under 21 and provides guidelines for manufacturing and labeling the product.
Kindergarten Readiness: House Bill 695 will establish the Adaptive Kindergarten Readiness Pilot Project within the Kentucky Department of Education. The program will offer reading, math and science instruction through an online platform.
Maternal Health: Senate Bill 74 aims to support maternal and infant health and reduce the high mortality rate for mothers in Kentucky. Several sections of the bill are set to take effect on July 15, including one that will provide more information about breastfeeding and safe sleep to at-risk parents. Other sections will establish a state maternal fatality review team and require state Medicaid services to cover lactation consulting, breastfeeding equipment, and in-home and telehealth services. The bill also calls on state health officials to compile an annual report about the number and types of delivery procedures performed at each hospital. Other sections of the bill will not take effect until 2025.
Mathematics Education: House Bill 162 seeks to improve numeracy in Kentucky. It calls for reform to early education math standards and for more professional development for teachers. The bill will also create multitiered support systems for struggling students.
Medicinal Cannabis: House Bill 829 seeks to update some aspects of Kentucky's upcoming medicinal cannabis program. It will allow schools to opt out and allow local governments to apply a small fee to the program, among other changes. Three sections of the bill related to applications for business licenses, state enforcement and patient pamphlets will not take effect until 2025.
Missing Adults: Senate Bill 45 calls on Kentucky State Police and other state officials to operate a new alert system that helps find missing people over the age of 17.
Nuclear Energy: Senate Bill 198 establishes the Kentucky Nuclear Energy Development Authority to support and facilitate the development of a nuclear energy ecosystem across the state.
Official State Rock: House Bill 378 changes the official state rock from Kentucky agate to coal. It also changes the official mineral from coal to calcite and the official gemstone from the freshwater pearl to Kentucky agate.
Pseudoephedrine: House Bill 386 eases purchase limits on pseudoephedrine to help people with chronic allergies legally obtain enough of the medication to meet their medical needs.
Recording Food Operations: Senate Bill 16 forbids people from capturing or distributing unauthorized video, audio or photos from a commercial food manufacturing facility or an animal feeding operation. Violators could face a class B misdemeanor on the first offense and a class A misdemeanor for a subsequent offense.
Research Consortiums: Senate Bill 1 creates an endowment fund to support collaborative research consortiums among public universities in Kentucky. Administered by the Council on Postsecondary Education, the program will focus on research projects that seek to improve quality of life through medicine, health and economic development.
Safer Kentucky Act: House Bill 5 aims to crack down on repeat, violent offenders. It will also allow prosecutors to file a manslaughter charge against anyone who sells or distributes fentanyl that causes a fatal overdose. Other provisions seek to curb unlawful street camping and set limits on charitable bail organizations.
School Bus Behavior: House Bill 446 seeks to address disciplinary issues on school buses. Under the bill, every bus rider and at least one of their parents or guardians will need to sign a transportation agreement with the district. The agreement would outline expectations for students and parents and explain the consequences for misbehavior.
School Notifications: Senate Bill 11 seeks, in certain cases, to speed up notifications to schools when a student has been charged with a crime.
School Safety: Senate Bill 2 seeks to enhance school safety by allowing some veterans and former police officers to serve as school “guardians.” It also calls on school districts to assemble trauma-informed teams to improve mental health interventions.
Sex Offenders and Social Media: Senate Bill 249 will require sex offenders who have been convicted of abusing a minor to use their legal name on social media platforms.
Truancy: House Bill 611 calls for school officials to file a complaint with the county attorney when a student misses 15 days or more of school without an excuse. For students in elementary school, the parent would be held responsible.
Vaping in Schools: House Bill 142 will ban all tobacco, alternative nicotine and vapor products in Kentucky public schools. It will also require school districts to adopt disciplinary procedures for students who violate the bans.
Veteran Suicide Prevention: Under House Bill 30, the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs will create a suicide prevention program for service members, veterans and their families.
Window Tinting: Senate Bill 46 allows windshield tinting on vehicles as long as at least 70% of light can still pass through the material.
Youth Employment Programs: Senate Bill 128 allows nonprofit organizations to employ 12- and 13-year-olds for the purpose of learning life and employment skills. To participate, organizations would need to first receive approval from the state Department of Workplace Standards, and the work can not exceed 18 hours a week.
Youth Medical Records: House Bill 174 stipulates that parents have access to their child's medical records. Right now, children ages 13 and older must sign a waiver for parents to have access.
Committee hears how farm alliance helps bring healthy food to Kentuckians
Rep. Shawn McPherson, R-Scottsville, speaks Thursday during the Tobacco Settlement Agreement Fund Oversight Committee meeting. A high-resolution photo is available here.
FRANKFORT — Members of the Tobacco Settlement Agreement Fund Oversight Committee learned Thursday how the Community Farm Alliance helps bring healthy food to Kentuckians.
Myrisa K. Christy, executive director of the alliance, and two others offered committee members an overview of the Kentucky Double Dollars and Farmers Market Support Program. Through Kentucky Double Dollars, spending power is increased on Kentucky-grown fruits and vegetables, she said.
The program is designed to increase sales and income for the state's farmers, develop new farm customers by introducing local food for low-income populations and leverage federal food and nutrition program funds, she said.
“I think it's important to have farmers markets participating in the program and taking ownership, because that's how they're going to end up supporting it long-term and developing the community around it,” Christy said.
Sen. Amanda Mays Bledsoe, R-Lexington, also committee co-chair, said the program is good because it brings healthy food to more people.
“The dollar program is fantastic, and I know in my county, the farmers markets are critical to providing accessibility to what you need – fresh food,” she said.
Rep. Shawn McPherson, R-Scottsville, said he's thinks Allen County leads the state in vegetable production, and he supports the local farmers market on the downtown square and other efforts to put producers' goods in front of potential customers.
“It's a big thing, and we do a lot with our local square there. We have First Fridays. We do a lot of things so everybody's familiar with and they come to,” he said.
McPherson said it's a good thing when farmers can take risks and plant more crops annually knowing the demand is there; that the food won't go to waste.
“And so, we're always looking to see where we can expand that market,” he said.
Rep. Rachel Roarx, D-Louisville, said her interest was piqued after learning about the program's expansion at Save A Lot stores in Louisville. She asked which locations will participate.
Jamie Fitzwater, director of Kentucky Double Dollars, said the group will be at the stores on Portland Avenue and Taylor Boulevard.
Rep. Myron Dossett, R-Pembroke, also committee co-chair, expressed concern about inflation.
“As we have seen for the last three, four years, inflation has impacted every family whether they be low income or going up the economic ladder. We're all experiencing increased costs. We're seeing it within agriculture as well,” he said.
He asked if there has been an increase in shoppers at farmers markets.
Christy said food service benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic might not be topped. However, there is an increase in awareness of other places to get resources.
She explained that multiple point surveys are expected to be implemented this year to find out who is being served and how their shopping and eating behaviors change over the long term.
Fitzwater said that social media has been a great way to get the word out about Kentucky Double Dollars.
Sen. Robin L. Webb, D-Grayson, said promoting a healthy lifestyle will cut down on medical costs and decrease cancer rates and diabetes. She said she would like to see more counties participate in the program.
“I'd like to see SNAP benefits going to promote healthy lifestyles because when you're experiencing cheap foods, carbs, wasted calories and all that, I mean, health is a lifestyle. You talk about dollars in funding, but you can't really quantify reaching those children and the life choices that they make,” she said.
Webb said school family resource centers are the “boots on the ground” for various nutrition issues.
Mays Bledsoe said cooperation between agriculture-related groups will benefit many Kentuckians.
“What's so interesting, I think about this committee, is that you do get to see all different partners working together and leveraging funds and resources, because we do want a better and a healthier Kentucky, and that's the goal,” she said.
Citizen members appointed to serve on JCPS task force
The Efficient and Effective School District Governance Task Force will convene its first meeting at 1 p.m. on Monday, July 15. A high-resolution photo is available here.
FRANKFORT — Legislative leaders have appointed five citizen members to a new task force that will study the administration of Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) and recommend possible reforms ahead of the 2025 legislative session.
House Speaker David Osborne and Senate President Robert Stivers established the Efficient and Effective School District Governance Task Force in May. The 13-member panel is tasked with reviewing the district's governance model and identifying areas for potential improvement by Dec. 1.
Rep. Kim Banta, R-Fort Mitchell, and Sen. Michael J. Nemes, R-Shepherdsville, will lead the group as co-chairs. They selected the citizen members through a public application process announced last month. The appointments include:
Angela Masden-Wilson and Brittany Abdelahad will serve as resident-parent members. To qualify for the position, both appointees had to be taxpayers living in a school district with an enrollment greater than 75,000. Both had to have competency and experience or knowledge in the field of education and have children who are currently attending or recently graduated within the past five years from the school district. Neither appointee could be a current employee of the district.
Jody Wurtenberger will serve as the business member. This role required experience in the finance, management, and operations of large businesses that operate in the commonwealth.
George Nichols will serve as the teacher member. To qualify, this appointee had to be a certified teacher currently employed as a classroom teacher in a school district with enrollment greater than 75,000. The appointee had to have at least five years of experience working in the district.
Dr. Rebecca Nicolas will serve as the principal member. She was chosen from a list of three principals nominated by the superintendents of school districts with enrollment of 75,000 or greater.
The task force is a direct result of House Concurrent Resolution 81, which the Kentucky General Assembly adopted during the 2024 legislative session.
Sponsored by Rep. Ken Fleming, R-Louisville, the measure called for a working group to review the administrative functions and learning outcomes of school districts that have more than 75,000 students.
The task force is also charged with gathering testimony from parents and policy experts and researching the structures and outcomes of similar districts in other states.
Fleming will serve on the panel along with Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield; Rep. Tina Bojanowski, D-Louisville; and Senate Democratic Floor Leader Gerald A. Neal, D-Louisville.
State Auditor Allison Ball and Louisville Metro Councilman Phillip Baker will serve in the remaining two positions.
All members of the task force will have voting privileges, and the group will convene its first meeting at 1 p.m. on Monday, July 15.
More information on the task force is available here on the LRC website.
Task force learns about housing shortage
Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, speaks during Monday's Kentucky Housing Task Force meeting. A high-resolution photo can be found here.
FRANKFORT — The Kentucky Housing Task Force, a new legislative panel focused on solutions to housing shortages, heard from several state officials Monday about efforts to address the problem.
Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, was among those who had questions for officials from the Kentucky Housing Corp., the Kentucky Center for Statistics and the state's Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction.
“There's a lot of different spokes to this. It's no certain, no one thing can solve this problem. It's going to take a lot of different folks – like I said, a lot of partnerships and the private sector really has to step up and start working on this,” he said.
Wendy K. Smith, deputy executive director of Housing Programs for the Frankfort-based Kentucky Housing Corp., said it's vital for the housing supply in Kentucky to be a main focus instead of niche or secondary housing issues.
She and others presented information from the first phase of the Housing Supply Gap Analysis, a study commissioned by the KHC and released in April.
“In our view, the housing supply shortage is Kentucky's most urgent issue,” she said. “What we're seeing is while Kentucky Housing for 50-plus years has been investing in affordable housing, because there's not enough supply in the overall marketplace, we're losing ground in serving the folks we try to serve.”
Smith said all of Kentucky's counties need housing, and if enough supply existed, the state would have lower average housing costs.
“Supply will bring down costs. That's just, that's economics, right? We would have higher ownership rates. We would have more workforce housing if we just had more supply. We would have lower addiction rates. We would have fewer homeless Kentuckians, and we'd have increased household stability,” she said.
Smith said if there is more housing for higher income people and they can get what they want, people with fewer means will have more options open to them because it is a marketplace. Housing is also closely connected to economic development, she said.
“If you want jobs, you need homes,” Smith said.
Senate Majority Caucus Chair Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, said Detroit has added housing to the city by using sites that were conducive to construction.
“They looked at sites that were already ready to go. They already had the infrastructure there. They already had all of the sewer lines, everything, and they rebuilt those areas, part of the metropolitan area,” she said. “And everything that I've read, they've done it block by block by block, and they've really stabilized a huge portion of their metropolitan area.”
Senate Minority Whip David Yates, D-Louisville, asked Smith about possible KHC gap incentives for construction companies and developers to spur construction.
“I mean we can, but we don't have any more to work with than we did before. Some of our resources could do that, and are doing that in some communities, but there's not any more to go around. Who are we going to take from I guess is where we're left,” Smith said.
Rep. Mike Clines, R-Alexandria, asked Smith if there's a good housing program in another state that KHC favors more than others.
Smith said she would like more time to research the issue, but mentioned Oklahoma's is interesting to her.
Committee Co-Chair Rep. Susan Witten, R-Louisville, said the task force was established after House Concurrent Resolution 68 was adopted during this year's legislative session. The task force is charged with studying and reviewing current and future policy needs to address access and availability of housing for the state's citizens.
Witten said this includes a demographic analysis of housing costs, population and employment opportunities statewide and regionally; a comprehensive review of state and local laws, regulations, policies and procedures that affect housing; analysis of the availability and accessibility of housing; and evaluation of land use, zoning, infrastructure and community planning to identify barriers to attainable and affordable housing.
The task force will also examine efforts in other areas of the United States to address housing shortages and boost home ownership, she said.
Phase 2 of the Housing Supply Gap Analysis will be a 5-year projection of future supply gaps in Kentucky, Smith said. This report is expected to be released Aug. 21 during the Kentucky Affordable Housing Conference in Louisville, she said.
The task force's next meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 29 at 1 p.m.
Interim committee discusses implementation of Senate Bill 151
Senate Majority Caucus Chair Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, asks a question about the implementation of Senate Bill 151 during Wednesday's Interim Joint Committee on Families and Children meeting. A high-resolution photo can be found here.
FRANKFORT — The Interim Joint Committee on Families and Children discussed the future of Senate Bill 151 on Wednesday.
The general assembly unanimously passed SB 151 earlier this year, which will allow family members who take temporary custody of a relative's child to become certified as a "child-specific foster home.” The bill will give those caregivers more access to state resources. SB 151 officially becomes law on July 15.
The bill's primary sponsor, Senate Majority Caucus Chair Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, asked Lesa Dennis, commissioner for the Department of Community Based Services, how the Cabinet plans to implement the legislation.
Dennis said the Cabinet needs additional funding to implement SB 151.
“The Cabinet is supportive of Senate Bill 151, but during those conversations we also identified there would be additional funding needed to implement, and that funding was not made available,” Dennis said. “So at this time, we are still hopeful in the near future that there will be an additional pathway for funding of Senate Bill 151. But without that support, the Cabinet will have difficulty moving forward with implementation.”
Adams said since SB 151 will be law, she isn't sure if the Cabinet can opt not to implement it. She also questioned whether additional funding was requested from the legislature.
“I can also show you documentation from the Cabinet that says that the cost can be absorbed within your current budgetary framework,” Adams said, adding that she would like to hear more from the Cabinet on the issue in July.
Sen. Robin L. Webb, D-Grayson, also had questions about the funding issues for SB 151. Dennis said the estimated cost is $20 million.
“Is there any federal relief or anything we could apply for that would ease the burden of that?” Webb asked.
Dennis said no, because general funds would support additional staffing and pay for the cost of care for the children.
Under SB 151, Dennis also said the process the Cabinet will have to use to transition children from a temporary custody situation to relative/fictive kin foster care situation makes the child ineligible for federal reimbursement.
Rep. Sarah Stalker, D-Louisville, asked Dennis if there is a different way the Cabinet can implement SB 151 in order to be eligible for federal support.
Dennis said no.
“We have asked our federal partners, and we have worked with our consultants and others in various ways to try to find a solution that would enable us to receive federal funding for this population of children and have not found any workarounds or other options available,” she added.
Toward the end of the discussion on the issue, committee co-chair Rep. Samara Heavrin, R-Leitchfield, said she wants the Cabinet to come back in July to continue to discuss the implementation of SB 151.
“To hear that (SB 151) is not going to be implemented because there aren't enough funds when it was stated that the Cabinet could absorb the funds is a major problem,” she said.
The next Interim Joint Committee on Families and Children is currently scheduled for 1 p.m. on July 30. For more information, visit legislature.ky.gov.
Lawmakers hear from first responder families seeking workers' compensation
Rep. Lindsey Burke, D-Lexington, speaks Wednesday about first responder workers' compensation during a meeting of the Interim Joint Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection. A high-resolution photo can be found here.
FRANKFORT — Family members of those dealing with psychological injuries offered impassioned testimony during Wednesday's meeting of the Interim Joint Committee on Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection.
Rep. Lindsey Burke, D-Lexington, credited Rep. John Blanton, R-Salyersville, with, “a fabulous bill that's been around for many years” and has had bipartisan support.
“Kentucky's workers' comp system was created in 1914 with a goal of placing responsibility for workplace injuries on the industry in which such injuries occur as opposed to putting that on the general public,” she said.
Burke said only physical injuries or physical illnesses are covered under current law, and the measure – House Bill 363 – would create a carve-out for psychological injuries experienced as first responders, who are defined as firefighters, EMTs, police, National Guard and front-line social workers.
“Our first responders take great risks to provide services to the public when we're in crisis. They come to us at our worst moments,” she said. “They see the absolute, most awful things that any of us can imagine. They do it willingly, courageously…”
Caleen Treadway of Sharpsburg, cried while testifying about witnessing seizures her father, Bobby Treadway, had that she said were due to PTSD stemming from his EMS employment.
“And my dad has dedicated his life to saving others and sacrificing his own life and his time with his family so others would get the opportunity to make it back to their loved ones,” she said. “No one will ever really know what my dad has seen on these runs or calls or what any of these first responders see on a daily basis.”
Like Treadway, Wendy Johnson spoke about how her husband, Kyle Johnson, was affected by things he saw during period of civil unrest in Louisville. He had been serving in the Kentucky National Guard for eight years when he received orders to go to Louisville.
“We are here today to address the gap in coverage and benefits for those who find themselves struggling with PTSD. As all of you know, this is mostly an invisible injury, an injury that affects the most important organ in your body…It is a real and devastating injury to receive,” she said.
Rep. Bill Wesley, R-Ravenna, thanked Burke for presenting the bill, and said National Guard personnel serve the governor and take the same oath as anybody else who has served in the military.
“If a national guardsman that has taken that same oath, if they're not deployed, they're not considered a veteran, and I think that's wrong. They served in so many different ways…We have people serving all over the world that are from the Commonwealth of Kentucky as a national guardsman,” he said.
Rep. Mark Hart, R-Falmouth, said he served for nine years in the National Guard, and more than 30 years as a fire officer and a paramedic. He said there are 23 states with some type of presumption for workers' compensation for mental health for firefighters. He said he wasn't sure if this includes police and EMS in those states. He asked Burke if there are other states with laws providing for workers' compensation for National Guard personnel.
“I do believe it's a similar number. Kentucky is an outlier that we're not providing care for our national guardsmen who are on state deployment,” she said.
Rep. Daniel Grossberg, D-Louisville, said those in the National Guard should be treated as a veteran whether they are deployed or not.
“I want it stated in the record that 23 states already have the presumptions for first responders for mental health…I hope that this bill is expanded to include those who work in the call centers, either the 911 dispatchers or in the cases of 988, I think a 988 dispatcher or person should be included as well,” he said.
Sen. Matthew Deneen, R-Elizabethtown, said it's the legislature's job to reduce red tape that holds back services for those who have provided invaluable assistance. He said he's grateful to the General Assembly for funding USA Cares, which addresses possible lapses in policies.
Rep. Sarah Stalker, D-Louisville, thanked the families for their testimony and said they were brave for sharing their stories.
“I do not think that vulnerability is a sign or weakness. I do not think that individuals should be humiliated by their circumstances,” she said.
The next committee meeting is scheduled for July 30 at 11 a.m.
Lawmakers learn about companies' power needs, receive an energy outlook
Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, speaks Thursday about Kentucky's energy needs to meet demands of companies interested in locating in the commonwealth. A high-resolution photo can be found here.
FRANKFORT — Ensuring Kentucky possesses enough energy to attract and retain businesses was only one facet of Thursday's meeting of the Interim Joint Committee on Natural Resources and Energy.
Committee members heard from the chairman of the Kentucky Public Service Commission, two executives from two major industries in the commonwealth and a representative of an energy-related state association.
Committee Co-Chair Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, said a business person from Indiana recently showed him a power bill from that state. The energy provider was the same, but the cost per kilowatt was much lower – in some cases almost half – and the firm determined that it was cost prohibitive to come to Kentucky.
Years ago, businesses interested in locating here were focused on building specifications, he said. "Now, I'd say that the No. 1 question that they all ask is what is your power rate."
Kent A. Chandler, chairman of the Kentucky Public Service Commission, said system growth is happening primarily as a result of data center expansion in the Columbus, Ohio and Northern Virginia areas. He expressed concern about replacing current power-generating units.
"I'm still concerned with our ability to reliably and cost effectively replace energy that is lost from a significant number of retirements of current resources," he said. "One or two here and there I think would be fine. A wholesale replacement of our generating fleet, I don't know what we would build to replace it. I'm being very honest."
Chandler said in 2023, Kentucky ranked 14th nationwide for residential electricity rates and second east of the Mississippi River behind only Tennessee. The state ranks No. 11 nationwide for industrial rates.
"On average, our rates across the entire state are very competitive, at least for our entire region," he said, citing state profiles by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Rep. DJ Johnson, R-Owensboro, asked Chandler why transmission costs are increasing.
"I would say that the primary cause of it is the replacement of older transmission with similar or like-kind new transmission," Chandler said.
Committee Co-Chair Rep. Jim Gooch Jr., R-Providence, said the committee is looking for ways to ensure Kentucky has reliability and the availability of power at an affordable cost. However, he said he's not in favor of large corporations that "blindly follow some of the policies in Washington."
Gooch said that capturing carbon emissions at a high rate is not feasible and can't be done.
One of those who testified during the meeting was Cathy Waddell, controller of Ghent-based Nucor Steel Gallatin. She said the company produces sheet steel, which has hundreds of everyday uses. For example, the steel goes into parts for automobiles, solar farms, lawnmowers, appliances and office furniture. Additionally, Nucor opened a second steel mill in Brandenburg last year.
Waddell said with many manufacturing facilities in Kentucky, Nucor is one of the largest electricity consumers in the state.
"For industrial operations like ours, access to reliable and affordable electricity is one of the most important factors to our success," she said.
Nucor is investing in next-generation nuclear technology, she said.
"We're working with NuScale Power, a start-up company that is developing small, modular nuclear reactors. They were the first company to have their new reactor design approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission," she said. "Besides a financial investment, we're also evaluating with NuScale the possibility to co-locate their small modular reactors at one of our steel mills as well as supplying them with the steel to build the reactor."
Kim Allen Menke, regional director of Government Affairs for Toyota Motor North America, said severe weather can create a brief power outage that can shut down manufacturing equipment such as spray booths, curing ovens and paint systems.
"There's no question energy curtailment or brownouts would have a negative impact on our ability to run production and operate our building systems for our team members," Menke said.
Michael L. Kurtz, general counsel for Kentucky Industrial Utility Customers, said utility companies in Kentucky are challenging federal rules regarding coal-fired plants.
"So really, if this federal rule survives, all the coal plants effectively will have to shut down by 2038," he said.
Smith said the important issue is what would the closure of the coal-fired plants mean to companies such as Nucor and Toyota.
"We realize that we're going to have to do something because we want you to know we're going to fight for you, and we're going to fight to keep that industry and those jobs here," he said.
Committee discusses potential bill on sex offender residential limits
Rep. Kim Banta, R-Fort Mitchell, testifies before the Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary on Thursday about legislation on sex offender residential limits. A high-resolution photo can be found here.
FRANKFORT — The 2024 legislative session ended in April, but Kentucky lawmakers are already working on bills for 2025.
Rep. Kim Banta, R-Fort Mitchell, spoke to the Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary on Thursday about this year's House Bill 67. The bill did not become law, but Banta is hoping to refile the legislation in 2025.
Under HB 67, registered sex offenders would be restricted from residing within 3,000 feet of a high, middle, or elementary school; preschool, publicly owned or leased playground; or licensed daycare facility. Current law provides a 1,000-foot limit.
Banta said she's had many people ask her for this bill.
"It's beginning to impact some of our city areas and residents within," she added.
Sen. Johnnie Turner, R-Harlan, said he is concerned how the bill might impact people living in rural areas.
"I represent a rural area, and presently 1,000 feet is a football field in a straight line. Three thousand feet would probably prevent anybody from living in any small town in my county," Turner said.
The bill is not retroactive, Banta said, so anyone convicted prior to this bill would not be impacted. Turner said he still has concerns about punishing people who have already served out their sentence.
Banta said that she supports many policies aimed at helping people, like voting rights restoration and expungement, but sex offenders require different consideration.
"They're always going to be a sexual predator," she said.
Committee co-chair Rep. Daniel Elliott, R-Danville, said he also has concerns on how the legislation would impact rural areas.
"I know you're trying to prevent future crimes and future victims, and I appreciate what you're doing. But there could be an effect, I think, unintentionally of requiring these individuals to live in rural parts of a county for instance where there's only a sheriff's patrol," Elliott said.
Sen. Danny Carroll, R-Benton, said from a law enforcement and executive director of a childcare center perspective, he supports the 1,000-foot limit. But he wanted to know why 2,000 more feet is needed.
Banta said she's aware of a situation in which a convicted sex offender uses binoculars to watch children playing soccer at a nearby school.
Rep. Kevin D. Bratcher, R-Louisville, said he knows of a similar incident happening in his district. However, that person was convicted when the limit was 500 feet.
The Kentucky General Assembly cannot act on legislation until the 2025 legislative session begins on Jan. 7.
The next Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary meeting is scheduled for July 18 at 11 a.m.
For more information, visit legislature.ky.gov.
Department of Juvenile Justice gives update to lawmakers
Sen. Christian McDaniel, R-Ryland Heights, said he supports the use of pepper spray and other measures in juvenile detention facilities during Wednesday's Budget Review Subcommittee on Justice and Judiciary meeting. A high-resolution photo can be found here.
FRANKFORT — The Kentucky General Assembly continued its efforts to monitor Kentucky's juvenile justice system on Wednesday.
Kentucky's new Department of Juvenile Justice Commissioner Randy White provided an update to the Budget Review Subcommittee on Justice and Judiciary and spoke on the impacts of recent legislation on the department.
White said in his 27 years working in corrections, today's youth are different.
"They're committing harsher crimes, which require stronger rehabilitative efforts," White added.
In order to reduce Kentucky's juvenile detention center population, White said the state needs to focus on alternatives to detention, education, programming, employment and mental health. Ensuring the safety of incarcerated youth and detention center staff is also a priority.
The legislature has appropriated millions toward the improvement of the Department of Juvenile Justice in the last few years, White said. Due to 2023 legislation, starting salaries at juvenile justice centers went from $30,000 to $50,000. This has resulted in filled positions going from 313 at the beginning of 2023 to 454 as of May 22, 2024, White added.
Ensuring facilities are fully staffed is a major priority. White said the department is expecting more youth to enter the facilities as the result of 2023's House Bill 3 and 2024's House Bill 5 and Senate Bill 20.
HB 3 requires the automatic detention of juveniles charged with violent crimes. HB 5, also known as the Safer Kentucky Act, enhances penalties for certain violent crimes, and SB 20 requires youth who use a firearm in the commission of a crime to be tried as an adult.
Committee co-chair Rep. Patrick Flannery, R-Olive Hill, asked if the department has enough funds to complete the Jefferson County Youth Detention Center and the Jefferson Regional Juvenile Detention Facility at Lyndon renovation projects.
Roberta McCann, acting executive director for the department's Office of Administrative Services, said additional funding provided in this year's budget is adequate.
To maintain order inside the juvenile facilities, corrections officers may use pepper spray, tasers and shields for protection, White said. All usage of pepper spray is investigated. Out of 107 investigations, 14 incidences have been determined to be "substantiated misuses."
"(Pepper) spray continues to be a safer alternative than physical contact between juveniles and staff, reducing injuries and medical attention," White said. "A comparison of staff assaults before and after the use of pepper spray was authorized shows that staff assaults have decreased by 40%."
Sen. Robin L. Webb, D-Grayson, said she wanted more information on the use of pepper spray in juvenile facilities, especially if juveniles are informed on what may be used on them if they misbehave.
"I represent guards and juveniles and I would like to think they're well informed of the potentiality of that," Webb said. "… and what is the penalty for misusing for employees?"
White said he believes potential disciplinary measures for juveniles in detention is in the handbook they're given upon entry to the facility. As for employees who misuse, White said they are often suspended and have to undergo additional training and counseling.
Sen. Christian McDaniel, R-Ryland Heights, said he supports the use of pepper spray and other measures in juvenile detention facilities due to how violent some of Kentucky's youth offenders are.
"I find it unfortunate that those who would rather forget that there is a problem that must be dealt with societally, know that the people on the front lines of providing that solution to that problem have to feel safe in that environment that we charge them to operate," McDaniel said.
The next Budget Review Subcommittee on Justice and Judiciary is currently scheduled for 9 a.m. on July 17. For more information, visit legislature.ky.gov.
Education committee receives KSU update
Sen. Shelley Funke Frommeyer, R-Alexandria, speaks about Kentucky State University during Tuesday's Interim Joint Committee on Education meeting. A high-resolution photo can be found here.
FRANKFORT — During Tuesday's meeting of the Interim Joint Committee on Education, legislators received an update on budgeting, enrollment and other key issues affecting Kentucky State University in Frankfort.
Lawmakers heard testimony from five representatives from the commonwealth's only public historically Black college and university (HBCU).
KSU has faced severe financial challenges in recent years, and the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education has undertaken a financial review of the institution. The Kentucky General Assembly also passed legislation to provide financial relief to the university.
Tammi Dukes, who serves on the KSU Board of Regents, said she's grateful for the committee and general assembly for the investment in the university, which led to the largest general fund in the school's history.
"The nearly 400% increase in asset preservation and the $5 million for the planning and design of the new health sciences education building have not gone unnoticed," she said. "In addition, your support, particularly through the passing of House Bill 250 in 2022, has been pivotal in our journey towards realizing measurable outcomes and fostering a brighter future for our students and the commonwealth."
Dukes said the university's focus has been on three primary goals – to balance the budget, to ensure robust internal controls across the organization and to grow the enrollment.
Sen. Shelley Funke Frommeyer, R-Alexandria, asked about the school's outreach to potential students in Northern Kentucky and enrollment numbers.
"We have hired five admission specialists, and we have divided the state among them. And so we do have a contact there in the Northern Kentucky area. What we're looking to do is to continue to grow," said Stephanie Mayberry, KSU's vice provost of student affairs.
Mayberry said the university plans to also reach out to potential students in Bowling Green and Christian County.
Mentioning the current enrollment of approximately 1,700 at KSU, Funke Frommeyer asked how many students live on campus.
Mayberry said the school has the capacity for about 1,200 students on campus. She also said summer school is offered online and several camps are set to kick off this week at KSU.
Rep. James Tipton, R-Taylorsville, also committee co-chair, said it's encouraging to hear that good news is happening at KSU, and he asked about the recent relationship between KSU, the KSU Board of Regents and the Kentucky State University Foundation, which he said has been described as "pretty much nonexistent."
Dukes said the board of regents has attempted to forge relationships, but has had no real success.
"In addition, we've also been asking for financial information as it relates to the endowments and all the funds that are being managed through the foundation and have received sporadic, incomplete information over the last two years," she said.
Tipton said committee members would be monitoring the situation and it can hopefully be resolved soon.
Senate Minority Caucus Chair Reginald Thomas, D-Lexington, asked Michael Dailey, interim provost and vice president of academic affairs, about the record number of degrees awarded during KSU's most recent commencement.
"We had the largest graduating class that we have had in the history of Kentucky State University – over 300 degrees were awarded…," he said.
Thomas also asked about graduation rates going up by almost 25% in KSU's new president's first year in office.
Dailey said the efforts made by Mayberry and her team started with retention. Also addressing gaps in curriculum and the pathways students were pursuing helped boost the rates.
Sen. Stephen Meredith, R-Leitchfield, said the presentation was encouraging, and he asked about student recruitment and the five admissions counselors.
"I'll be honest. We started behind the eight ball this year. Those five were not in place until January and the recruitment time is September to October," Mayberry said. "We feel confident that we'll be able to get into the high schools. We've been building those relationships all semester so that we can go right into those high schools in the fall so that we have a presence."
Senate Democratic Floor Leader Gerald A. Neal, D-Louisville, said after hearing the presentation that he's encouraged by the transparency and the future of the university.
"I have to tell you this is one of the most refreshing presentations that I've heard before this body. There have been many, but this is one of them. And it's very encouraging what I've heard here," he said. "I think I'm speaking for most of the folks up here, and I haven't looked at facial expressions or anything, but it seems like you're on the right track."
Legislative interim period begins this week
Renovation work continues on the Kentucky Capitol this week as lawmakers return to Frankfort for the start of the 2024 interim period. here.
FRANKFORT — Kentucky lawmakers are kicking off the 2024 interim period this week with the first of many joint committees slated to convene on Tuesday.
The interim period typically runs from June to December each year and provides lawmakers time to hold hearings and study issues in preparation for the next regular session, which begins in January.
The full 2024 interim calendar is available here. Please note, however, that it may be subject to change throughout the year.
Unless otherwise indicated on the calendar, most interim joint, statutory and special committee meetings are held in the Capitol Annex building in Frankfort.
The Legislative Research Commission's website will include a weekly calendar of committee meetings throughout the interim period, offering more detailed information on meeting times, committee members and agenda items. The weekly calendar is available here.
Both Kentucky Educational Television (KET) and the Legislative Research Commission provide livestreams of the committee meetings, and more information on accessing those feeds is available here.
To view materials such as information sheets, handouts and PowerPoint presentations that are compiled for lawmakers to review at committee meetings, please visit the committee pages on the Legislative Research Commission's website. Click on the "Meeting Materials" tab on the right side of each committee's page. Meeting agendas are also posted on this page.
To share feedback on an issue with lawmakers, call the General Assembly's Message Line at 1-800-372-7181. Kentuckians with hearing loss can use Kentucky Relay by dialing 7-1-1.
To directly reach a lawmaker's office, call 502-564-8100. An operator will transfer the call to the office of the lawmaker you want to reach.
If you have a question about the lawmaking process or legislative resources, the LRC Public Information Office can be reached by calling 502-564-8100, ext. 59105.