FRANKFORT, Ky. (March 14, 2017) – In an effort to increase transparency, Secretary
of State Alison Lundergan Grimes on Tuesday announced a revolutionary clearinghouse
for information about Kentucky’s boards and commissions. The portal is located at
OpenBoardsKY.com<http://openboardsky.com/>.
“The Civic Health Index report released this year by my office found that our
citizens have lost trust in institutions like state government. My office is
committed to seeking new ways of engaging with constituents and rebuilding the trust
needed to be a government by and for the people,” said Grimes.
Kentucky has nearly 400 separate boards and commissions, among the most of any state.
“The Commonwealth’s boards and commissions make policy and enforce regulations
affecting topics like business, elections, veteran’s affairs, and everything in
between,” said Grimes. “We owe it to Kentuckians to provide as much information as
we can about these bodies, the policies they oversee and the agencies with which
they interact.”
OpenBoardsKY.com<http://openboardsky.com/> maintains information relating to the
purpose, authority, composition, meeting schedule, and members of all boards and
commissions. It also contains lists of current vacancies and upcoming expiring
terms.
The portal offers advanced search tools to find information about members’
compensation, if any, a member’s home county, and their original date of
appointment.
“Making it easier to engage with government is a hallmark of my administration. Our
goal with OpenBoardsKY.com<http://openboardsky.com/> is to add a new level of
transparency that facilitates engagement between Kentuckians and policymakers,” said
Grimes. “A great deal of credit belongs to the great work of my staff, under the
direction of Special Assistant Jacob Ewing, in launching this new portal.”
The Secretary of State is responsible for attesting to and keeping information
related to the official acts of the Governor, including all appointments to boards
and commissions. The portal is maintained using information from the Executive
Journal.
More information regarding the portal and a walk-through is available at
OpenBoardsKY.com<http://openboardsky.com/>.
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