Multiple Interim Task Forces Set to Begin Meeting Next Month

Interim meetings begin next week in Frankfort, and when lawmakers return for committee meetings they’ll also be churning out recommendations on some hot topics as they convene multiple special committees in the form of task forces.

Each task force will include of 10 legislative members – four each from the House and Senate majority, and one each from the Senate minority.

The task forces include:

Task Force on Local Government Annexation: Resulting from the passage of Senate Bill 141, sponsored by Senator Amanda Mays Bledsoe, R-Lexington, the task force 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 task force will also recommend statutory law changes resulting from deliberations.

Lottery Trust Fund Task Force: Established from House Concurrent Resolution 34, sponsored by Representative Bobby McCool, R-Van Lear, the 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 the commonwealth, compare the current system with other states’ scholarship and grant programs, develop and submit any recommendations and changes to the trust fund, and how to better align the use of the funds with the commonwealth’s needs.

Multimodal Freight Transportation System Improvement Task Force: Created from House Concurrent Resolution 72, sponsored by Rep. Tom Smith, R-Corbin, the task force will study and make recommendations regarding:

1. 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;
2. 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
3. one-time and recurring funding opportunities to fund improvements and maintain the system.

Jail and Corrections Reform Task Force: Formed as a result of House Concurrent Resolution 82, sponsored by Rep. Josh Bray, R-Mount Vernon, the task force will study

1. existing jail and correctional facilities;
2. possible realignment and closure of jail and correctional facilities;
3. adequacy of existing jail and correctional facilities;
4. management of Kentucky’s incarcerated population;
5. personnel and other costs associated with jail and correctional facilities;
6. pretrial and post-conviction incarceration data from the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Department of Corrections, and jails;
7. pretrial defendants, including a breakdown by the jurisdiction of the financial conditions of release and charged offenses for those defendants; and
8. the number of supervised individuals incarcerated on new changes versus those incarcerated due to revocation.

Kentucky Health and Human Services Delivery System Task Force: Resulting from Senate Bill 48, sponsored by Sen. Steve Meredith, R-Leitchfield, the task force is to study the organizational structure, operations, and administration of programs, policies, and procedures within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. It will

1. examine the cabinet’s structure, operations, programs, policies, and procedures to determine if or how services may be delivered more effectively and efficiently; and
2. examine Kentucky’s benefits cliff and continue the work of the prior benefits cliff task force.

Certificate of Need Task Force: Established from Senate Concurrent Resolution 165, sponsored by Sen. Gex Williams, R-Verona, and House Concurrent Resolution 85, sponsored by Rep. Marianne Proctor, R-Union, the task force will

1. review Kentucky’s CON program, including the state health plan and related statutes;
2. review the need to maintain or modify CON for each covered health service; and
3. submit any findings and recommendations regarding CON to the Legislative Research Commission for referral to the appropriate committee of jurisdiction.

Task Force on School and Campus Security: The task force to study and review the implementation of 2019 Legislative Sessions Senate Bill 1, sponsored by Sen. Max Wise, R-Campbellsville. It will examine access to mental health services within districts and determine if federal funds are available.

Each task force will submit its findings and recommendation to the Legislative Research Commission by December 4.