REP. OF STATE DANIEL ELLIOTT
Kentucky House District 54
ANearly two full months after the start of this year’s legislative interim, lawmakers continue to work on issues that will dominate the agenda for the 2023 regular session. The past week has been particularly busy in Frankfurt, with 16 committees, task forces, and task forces gathered to work on issues facing our state. Although information about all the meetings is available on the General Assembly website, below is a review of some of the discussions.
Cliff Public Assistance Benefits Task Force
Daniel Elliot
Lawmakers have begun to dig into the issues and seek solutions to the cliff in public assistance benefits in Kentucky. The cliff edge effect refers to the sudden and often unexpected decrease in public benefits like childcare or health coverage that can occur with a small increase in wages or employment. Members received a briefing on the current state of the Commonwealth, with some startling statistics standing out. Over the past three years, Kentucky’s poverty rate has remained three percentage points higher than the national rate. Since expanding Medicaid eligibility in 2000, the state has had more than one million new enrollees, an increase of 153%, while our labor force participation rate has dropped 11%. Lawmakers also assessed successful policy options that other states have implemented, hearing directly from a national, nonpartisan legislative research body.
CMI on health, well-being and family services
Members discussed a number of issues, including a proposed pilot program that serves as a 24/7 mental health resource for students. The proposal would test an app called SafeKY that would connect people in need with certified mental health therapists and crisis counselors for free. It is based on a similar program proven in Utah. Additionally, lawmakers received an update on health care worker shortages across the state. According to industry representatives, healthcare workers are retiring in large numbers and there are not enough students entering the professions. Hospital leaders said they expect 18% of nurses to retire in the next year. To meet growing demands, hospitals continue to use traveling nurses and offer employees increased pay. In 2019, hospitals spent $88 million on contract nursing labor. In the first six months of this year, that number skyrocketed to $489 million. Nursing premium pay also rose from $50 million to $185 million over the same period.
CMI on Licensing, Professions and Administrative Regulations
Members heard testimony on several key issues facing the Commonwealth today. Topics covered were veterinary licensing, wholesale real estate, and charity gaming. Despite being one of Kentucky’s main industries, like most countries, our state suffers from a shortage of thoroughbred and large animal veterinarians. To combat this problem, the legislature will take a closer look at modernizing the Kentucky Practice Act of 1942 which sets the parameters for veterinary practice in the Commonwealth. Additionally, wholesale real estate has been a prevalent problem in Kentucky for decades, but has gone unregulated since its inception. Committee testimonyny, i expect we will see a proposal to add a fiduciary mandate for real estate wholesalers to protect consumers. Essentially, this would put wholesalers on an equal footing with real estate agents. Finally, current laws require charitable gaming deposits to be made approximately every other day, regardless of the amount collected. This may have been helpful when the law was enacted, but today most charitable gaming facilities collect a small amount each day. We could consider that the next legislative session will update the calendar.
CMI on Tourism, Small Business and Information Technology
Lawmakers received an update on the Broadband Deployment Fund, as well as information on Tennessee’s approach to increase broadband access. Broadband service provides higher data transmission speed and access to the highest quality Internet services, such as videoconferencing for telehealth, which require large amounts of data transmission. Access to services plays an important role in economic development and paves the way for the growth and sustainability of rural communities. Increased broadband access and usage in rural areas will lead to higher property values, increased economic growth, higher rates of new business emergence and lower unemployment rates. . The expansion of broadband can also improve health and life, by providing access to teleworkrk, remote health care, entertainment and educational opportunities.
CMI on Economic Development and Workforce Investment
Lawmakers have considered the Registered Apprenticeship Program, which helps employers recruit, train and retain talented employees. There are currently 623 registered apprenticeship programs aimed at growing our state’s workforce and preparing the next generation of workers. The committee also heard from Kentucky’s secondary vocational and technical education (CTE) system. In the 2021-2022 school year, 70% of Kentucky high school students were enrolled in CTE career paths and for many students, this represented a third of their high school experience. CTE programs range from a focus on careers in agriculture and medicine to finance and law enforcement.
As we approach the 2023 regular session, I am excited to continue our work and prepare legislation that makes Kentucky the best place to live, work and raise a family. In the meantime, I can be reached via the toll-free messaging line in Frankfurt at 1-800-372-7181. Please feel free to email me at Daniel.Elliott@lrc.ky.gov. If you would like more information, please visit the LRC website legislature.ky.gov.
State Representative Daniel Elliott represents Kentucky House District 54, which includes Boyle and Casey counties.