Legislative task forces will examine Cabinet for Health and Family Services and certificate-of-need process for health-care facilities

The Kentucky General Assembly has created joint House-Senate committees to study specific topics, including the Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the state's certificate-of-need process for health-care facilities.

Sen. Steve Meredith

Rep. David Meade

The Kentucky Health and Human Services Delivery System Task Force was created by this year's Senate Bill 48, sponsored by Sen. Steve Meredith, R-Leitchfield, to study the health cabinet's structure and operations, and its administration of programs, policies, and procedures, and determine "if or how services may be delivered more effectively and efficiently," a legislative press release said. It will also examine Kentucky's "benefits cliff" and continue the work of an earlier task force on that subject. Meredith and House Speaker Pro Tem David Meade, R-Stanford, will co-chair the committee. Other members are:

• Senate Republican Caucus Chair Julie Raque Adams, Louisville
• Sen. Shelley Funke Frommeyer, R-Alexandria
• Sen. Denise Harper Angel, D-Lousville
• Sen. Amanda Mays Bledsoe
• Rep. Samara Heavrin, R-Leitchfield
• Rep. Kimberly Poore Moser, R-Taylor Mill
• Rep. Amy Neighbors, R-Edmonton
• Rep. Sarah Stalker, D-Louisville

Rep. Russell Webber

Sen. Donald Douglas

The Certificate of Need Task Force was created by Senate Concurrent Resolution 165, sponsored by Sen. Gex Williams, R-Verona, and HCR 85, sponsored by Rep. Marianne Proctor, R-Union. It will review Kentucky's CON program, including related laws and the state health plan; review the need to maintain or modify CON for each covered health service; and make recomendations. The co-chairs are Sen. Donald Douglas, R-Nicholasville, and Rep. Russell Webber, R-Shepherdsville. The other members are:

• Sen. Karen Berg, D-Louisville
• Senate President Pro Tem David P. Givens, R-Greensburg
• Sen. Steve Meredith, R-Leitchfield
• Sen. John Schickel, R-Union
• Rep. Lindsey Burke, D-Lexington
• Rep. Daniel Elliott, R-Danville
• Rep. Marianne Proctor, R-Union
• Rep. Susan Witten, R-Louisville

Each task force has 10 members, appointed by the presiding officers of each chamber. Reflecting the partisan makeup of the legislature, each has four Republican senators and four Republican House members, and one Democratic senator and one Democratic House member. The committees also include the Task Force on School and Campus Security, a Task Force on Local Government Annexation; the Lottery Trust Fund Task Force, to evaluate the performance of its scholarships and grant programs; the Multimodal Freight Transportation System Improvement Task Force, to study freight and air terminals and ports; and the Jail and Corrections Reform Task Force, which may recommend realignment and closure of correctional facilities.

The task forces are to make recommendations by Dec. 4, in time for the next scheduled legislative session, which will begin Jan. 2, 2024. Task-force meetings will be live-streamed via the Legislative Research Commission's LRC YouTube channel and on KET.org/legislature. Archived footage of meetings can be accessed via KET.org/legislature/archives and on the YouTube channel. The LRC Legislative Calendar has meeting schedules and other information.