The Republican leadership of the Kentucky Senate announced the appointment of Sen. Wil Schroder (R-Wilder) to the newly formed Early Childhood Education Task Force, which will conduct a comprehensive review of early childhood education, care-giving and educational structures and operations in the commonwealth.
“It’s critical that our children’s education system is evaluated from all aspects so we can be sure they are well-supported from the very earliest ages,” Schroder said. “This review will tell what we can change to better equip our early childhood programs, and I am looking forward to participating on this important task force.”
The task force will report findings to the Legislative Research Commission by Dec. 1, 2022, for referral to the appropriate standing committee with jurisdiction over the policy area.
A legislative task force is also known as a special committee. They are established by the Legislative Research Commission and function primarily during the interim period between legislative sessions, typically studying a specific topic. The Early Childhood Education Task Force is one of six new task forces established to conduct business through the Interim.
Additional task forces include:
- The Benefits Cliff Task Force — Created to review the impact of the public assistance benefits cliff — which is in reference to the sudden and unexpected decrease in public benefits occurring with a small increase in earnings — on labor force participation, employment, wages, and benefit duration and usage in the commonwealth and develop public policy recommendations to support working families in transitioning off of public assistance into gainful employment and self-sufficiency.
- The Cabinet for Health and Family Services Organizational Structure, Operations and Administrative Task Force — Created to study the organizational structure, operations and administration of programs, policies and procedures within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
- The Bourbon Barrel Taxation Task Force — Created to study the current ad valorem tax rate structure for bourbon barrel sales in the commonwealth.
- The Emergency Medical Services Task Force — Created to study the provision of emergency medical services in Kentucky.
- The Executive Branch Efficiency Task Force — Created to study the effectiveness of current executive branch cabinet working procedures for administering services to citizens of the commonwealth.
The 2022 Interim Session will serve as a primer for the 2023 Regular Session of the Kentucky General Assembly, as legislative efforts in the months ahead will be a critical element in the crafting of potential legislation.