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UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS BR 2422
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A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION establishing the Health Care Workforce Task 1
Force to identify strategies to increase the number of health care professionals while 2
maintaining high quality standards of care. 3
WHEREAS, Kentucky has 265 Primary Care Health Professionals Shortage Areas 4
designated by the United States Department of Health and Human Services; and 5
WHEREAS, in addition to physicians, key health care professionals th at are 6
needed, particularly in rural areas, include dentists, nurses, physician assistants, physical 7
therapists, athletic trainers, medical laboratory scientists, speech -language pathologists, 8
audiologists and public health officials; and 9
WHEREAS, Kentucky universities have been expanding training programs and 10
accelerating pathways that are already increasing the number of new health care 11
professionals, but more needs to be done to grow medical programs; and 12
WHEREAS, initiatives across the state are working to meet Kentucky's health care 13
needs, including partnerships between universities, hospitals, and high schools to 14
encourage health care careers; and 15
WHEREAS, care models that allow multidisciplinary health care professionals 16
teams to work in conjunction with physicians could increase patient access to physicians; 17
and 18
WHEREAS, licensed preceptors and trainers are needed to serve as mentors and 19
supervisors for students during their clinical training; and 20
WHEREAS, the Grad PLUS loans, a key funding source use d by about half of 21
medical students, will no longer be available beginning July 1, 2026, and solutions are 22
needed to maintain and increase the numbers of new medical students; and 23
WHEREAS, more strategies are needed to address the critical health care 24
professional shortages in Kentucky; 25
NOW, THEREFORE, 26
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives of the General Assembly of the 27
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS BR 2422
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Commonwealth of Kentucky, the Senate concurring therein: 1
Section 1. The Legislative Research Commission is hereby directed to establish 2
the Health Care Workforce Task Force. The task force shall review existing initiatives 3
aimed at increasing the number of health care professionals while maintaining high 4
quality standa rds of care, consider new or expansions of existing initiatives, and 5
recommend any statutory or regulatory changes that may facilitate these initiatives. 6
Section 2. The Health Care Workforce Task Force shall be composed of the 7
following members with final membership of the task force being subject to the 8
consideration and approval of the Legislative Research Commission: 9
(1) Three members of the House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker of 10
the House of Representati ves, one of whom shall be designated by the Speaker of the 11
House of Representatives as a co-chair of the task force; 12
(2) Three members of the Senate appointed by the President of the Senate, one of 13
whom shall be designated by the President of the Senate as a co-chair of the task force; 14
(3) One member of the House of Representatives appointed by the Minority Floor 15
Leader of the House of Representatives; and 16
(4) One member of the Senate appointed by the Minority Floor Leader of the 17
Senate. 18
Section 3. The Health Care Workforce Task Force shall at a minimum meet 19
monthly during the 2026 Interim of the General Assembly, and shall submit 20
recommendations to the Governor and to the Legislative Research Commission for 21
referral to the Interim Joint Committees on Health Services and Education by December 22
1, 2026. 23
Section 4. Provisions of this Resolution to the contrary notwithstanding, the 24
Legislative Research Commission shall have the authority to a lternatively assign the 25
issues identified herein to an interim joint committee or subcommittee thereof, and to 26
designate a study completion date. 27