FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) – Legislative leaders have chosen the membership of several special task forces created by legislation this year, which will meet from June through December, to make recommendations for the 2024 session.
For each panel, Republican majority leadership chose four members from each chamber, while minority Democratic leadership chose one from each chamber.
The Task Force on Local Government Annexation will study required city annexation methods and will review the beneficial and damaging effects of city annexation on taxation, economic development, provision and sustainability of water, gas, electric, sewer and other utility services, police protection, fire protection and emergency services from the perspective of local governments and their residents.
The Lottery Trust Fund Task Force will review the recent budgetary trends and the use of the lottery trust fund and evaluate the performance of scholarships and grant programs. It will analyze the scholarship and grant needs expected for Kentucky and compare the current system with other states' scholarship and grant programs, and submit changes to the trust fund to better align the use of the funds with the state’s needs.
The Multimodal Transportation Improvement Task Force will make recommendations regarding ports, freight, and air terminals to review, correct, secure, and expand economic development opportunities, including ports for bulk river and rail service and transit terminals for trucking and air freight; the state of the current freight transportation system, identifying gaps where services are unavailable, existing facilities where backlogs exist and where expansion is warranted; and one-time and recurring funding opportunities to fund improvements and maintain the system.
The Jail and Corrections Task Force is to study existing jail and correctional facilities; possible realignment and closure of jail and correctional facilities; adequacy of existing jail and correctional facilities; management of Kentucky's incarcerated population; personnel and other costs associated with jail and correctional facilities; pretrial and post-conviction incarceration data from the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Department of Corrections and jails; pretrial defendants, including a breakdown by the jurisdiction of the financial conditions of release and charged offenses for those defendants; and the number of supervised individuals incarcerated on new changes versus those incarcerated due to revocation.
The Kentucky Health and Human Services Task Force will examine the Cabinet for Health and Family Services’ structure, operations, programs, policies and procedures to determine if or how services may be delivered more effectively and efficiently; examine Kentucky's benefits cliff and continue the work of the prior benefits cliff task force.
The Certificate of Need (CON) Task force will review Kentucky's CON program, including the state health plan and related statutes; review the need to maintain or modify CON for each covered health service; and submit any findings and recommendations regarding CON to the Legislative Research Commission for referral to the appropriate committee of jurisdiction.
The Task Force on School and Campus Security will study and review the implementation of 2019 legislation on the topic. It will examine access to mental health services within districts and determine if federal funds are available.