NEWS RELEASE

Rep. Daniel Elliott of Danville will serve on the Kentucky General Assembly’s Certificate of Need task force, according to an announcement this afternoon from the office of House Speaker David Osborne. Legislative leadership created the panel to focus on issues pertaining to the Certificate of Need process, as well as identifying both areas of improvement and potential solutions.

“I am very honored to receive this appointment to a task force that I believe will be integral in inspiring much needed change to an archaic practice in our state,” said Elliott. “Access to care is something that has been a priority of the legislature for quite some time, and the formation of this task force affirms this. It is my hope that my colleagues and I will find solutions to ongoing issues with the Certificate of Need practice and process, and legislate those ideas in the legislative sessions to come.”

The certificate of need requirement has long been a point of discussion among policymakers considering how to improve access to quality healthcare. A certificate of need is simply a legal document required in Kentucky before a proposed acquisition, expansion, or creation of a healthcare facility can take place. The process behind these documents grew in the years following World War II and stemmed from the federal government’s desire to ensure a community’s population could sustain a healthcare project funded with tax dollars. Some type of certificate of need requirement exists in more than 30 other states today. While it was designed to ensure access to affordable care, CON opponents believe the government’s intervention is eliminating competition that could improve the delivery of care. Kentucky policymakers have grappled with the issue for several decades and this year’s task force began as a result of discussion during the 2023 Regular Session. The legislative task force was created to investigate the commonwealth’s CON program as a whole, as well as how it ties in with the state health plan as well as other existing laws and regulations relating to the healthcare industry.

“During the 2023 Regular Session, we addressed the juvenile justice crisis, lowered taxes, protected our public pensions, ensured access to reliable and resilient energy sources, and increased access to lifesaving medical services. We also passed legislation aimed at improving workforce shortages in health care, education, and law enforcement and moved to protect parent’s rights and ensure the individuals and institutions our children rely on are acting appropriately,” Osborne said. “These accomplishments are the result of a productive interim. Our objective is to come into each session with an agenda aimed at building a brighter future for the people of our commonwealth. Task forces like this one have proven to be a vital tool, providing us with an opportunity to focus on issues as they develop.”

Task force members will meet throughout the 2023 Interim and submit their findings and recommendations to the Legislative Research Commission by Dec. 4, 2023, for referral to the appropriate committee or committees.

Representative Elliott serves the state’s 54th House District, which includes Boyle and Casey counties. In addition to the task force, Elliott will serve on the interim joint committees on Economic Development and Workforce Investment, Families and Children, Judiciary and Transportation.

To follow the task force and other legislative work, visit legislature.ky.gov or follow the House Majority Caucus on Facebook and YouTube @KYHouseGOP.