LAWMAKERS ESTABLISH 2024 TASK FORCES, STIVERS NAMES MEMBERS

Special committees to conduct business over the interim period

FRANKFORT, KY. (June 3, 2024) Senate President Robert Stivers has announced the appointment of Senate Majority Caucus members to the 2024 task forces recently created and authorized by the Legislative Research Commission. These special committees and their members will thoroughly research respective policy topics. Each provides crucial information to the wider General Assembly and can be used to craft future legislation.  

Workforce Attraction and Retention Task Force

  • Identify issues Kentucky employers face in attracting and retaining skilled workers.

  • Explore successful marketing strategies for workforce attraction from other states and local communities,

  • Collaborate with the Cabinet for Economic Development and hire a consulting firm to devise recommendations,

  • Develop a marketing program and grant fund program for workforce attraction and retention,

  • Evaluate existing education and workforce development programs,

  • Analyze economic and labor force data and demographic trends, and

  • Engage with employers, industry representatives, and economic development professionals. 

Stivers has appointed Sens. Max Wise, R-Campbellsville; Greg Elkins, R-Winchester; Jason Howell, R-Murray; and Shelley Funke Frommeyer, R-Alexandria, to the Workforce Attraction and Retention Task Force.

Kentucky Housing Task Force

  • Conduct a demographic analysis considering housing costs, population demographics, and employment opportunities,

  • Examine state and local laws, regulations, policies, and procedures pertaining to housing,

  • Analyze the availability and accessibility of housing, including housing costs, utility expenses, and access to healthcare services,

  • Evaluate land use practices, zoning regulations, infrastructure development, and community planning, and

  • Review initiatives and policy changes from other states to increase housing supply and promote homeownership.

Stivers has appointed Senate Majority Caucus Chair Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville and Sens. Robby Mills, R-Henderson; Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon; and Steve West, R-Paris, to the Kentucky Housing Task Force.

Efficient and Effective School District Governance Task Force

  • Review Kentucky school districts with student enrollment exceeding 75,000,

  • Compare governance and administrative models to similar-sized districts in other states.

  • Assess the functionality, duties, structure, independence, effectiveness, and efficiency of local boards of education,

  • Examine existing literature and reports on school governance and district size efficiency,

  • Gather testimony from education experts and input from parents regarding academic offerings and district policies, and

  • Review past performance audits and strategies adopted by other states regarding school district creation and school board expansion.

Stivers has appointed Sens. Mike Nemes, R-Shepherdsville, and Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield, to the Efficient and Effective School District Governance Task Force.

Artificial Intelligence Task Force

  • Analyze strategies implemented by other states to assess and monitor AI systems,

  • Study AI systems employed within government operations across various states,

  • Identify Kentucky agencies leveraging AI systems and examine their functionalities,

  • Gather information on AI systems used by Kentucky businesses and the federal government,

  • Formulate recommendations for integrating AI systems into Kentucky government operations, and

  • Address legislative initiatives for consumer protection in AI implementation.

Stivers has appointed Sens. Amanda Mays Bledsoe, R-Lexington; Brandon Storm, R-London; Steve Meredith, R-Leitchfield; and Gex Williams, R-Verona, to the Artificial Intelligence Task Force.

Each task force will meet monthly during the 2024 Interim and submit findings and recommendations to the LRC by Dec. 1. Meeting dates, times and agendas for these task forces have not yet been determined.

The 2024 Interim begins on Tuesday, June 4. Find the 2024 Interim Calendar by CLICKING HERE.

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Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, represents the 25th Senate District, including Clay, Jackson, Knox, McCreary, Owsley, and Whitley Counties. As of January 1, 2023, Stivers will have served as Kentucky Senate president for nearly a decade, first assuming the position in 2013, succeeding former Senate President David Williams. As Senate president, Stivers chairs the Senate Committee on Committees and the Rules Committee, and is Legislative Research Commission co-chair. Additionally, he serves as a member of the Senate standing committees on Education and Judiciary.

For a high-resolution .jpeg of President Stivers, please visit: https://legislature.ky.gov/Legislators%20Full%20Res%20Images/senate125.jpg.

Please visit Legislature.ky.gov for more information on Senate Majority Caucus members and the recently concluded 2024 Legislative Session.

Live legislative coverage is available at ket.org/legislature and via the Legislative Research Commission YouTube channel.

Access archived footage of legislative meetings at ket.org/legislature/archives.