FRANKFORT, KY (June 6, 2022) – Senate Leadership recently announced the appointment of Sen. Danny Carroll, R-Benton, as co-chair to the newly formed Early Childhood Education Task Force, which will conduct business through the 2022 Interim Session of the Kentucky General Assembly.
The task force will conduct a comprehensive review of the commonwealth’s early childhood caregiving and educational structures and operations.
“In these past two years, society has realized the vital nature of early childhood education, particularly reliable and accessible childcare,” Carroll said.
” Getting the structure and balance between public and private entities right is difficult, but young and future generations of this commonwealth will be better served by those of us putting in the hard work now. I look forward to serving in this capacity and am eager to see efforts culminate in sound public policy ideas related to our kids’ early education.”
The task force will report findings to the Legislative Research Commission by Dec. 1. for referral to the appropriate standing committee with jurisdiction over the policy area.
“Sen. Carroll has a heart, passion and level of personal and professional insight that few others possess when it comes to early childhood education,” Senate President Robert Stivers said. “Danny always thinks about the needs of kids, often leads discussions on early childhood education and will serve an immeasurably important role as co-chair.”
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, 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 Bourbon Barrel Taxation Task Force — Created to study the current ad valorem tax rate structure for bourbon barrel sales in the commonwealth.
· The Benefits Cliff Task Force — Created to review the impact of the public assistance benefits cliff 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 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 crafting potential legislation.
Visit legislature.ky.gov for details on Sen. Danny Carroll and more information on legislative committees, such as membership and scheduling. Tune in to live interim coverage at ket.org/legislature or via the Legislative Research Commission YouTube Channel. Archived legislative footage can be accessed there and at KET.org/legislature/archives.
