Governor Steve Beshear’s Top 10 Accomplishments of 2012

Governor Steve Beshear

 

Kentucky earns national recognition for job growth, education improvement

FRANKFORT, Ky. – Nearly 15,000 new and protected jobs in the Commonwealth. Another practical, balanced budget, with $1.6 billion in reductions since 2008. Marshalling federal and state resources to help families and communities recover from devastating disasters. These are just a few of the accomplishments Governor Steve Beshear highlighted in his “Top 10 Accomplishments of 2012” released today.

“I’m proud of the work we have done this year to help our families recover from tough times, from prescription drug abuse to tornadoes,” said Gov. Beshear. “We remain focused on the goals we brought into the administration – to create new jobs and keep them here, to manage taxpayers’ money wisely, and to champion initiatives to improve public health, education and workforce development. We have garnered national accolades for our efforts in these areas, but we aren’t working for recognition. We are working to better the lives of our Kentucky families.”

1. 2ND-HIGHEST JOB GROWTH RATE IN U.S., WITH THOUSANDS OF NEW JOBS
In October, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ranked Kentucky second in the nation for job growth rate over the past year, with a net increase of 2.6 percent. That growth is more than double the rate of our nearby competitor states. From September 2011 to September 2012, 47,000 jobs were created in the Commonwealth.

Kentucky’s flexible economic development incentives and friendly business climate continue to attract more new and expanding companies to our state. 2012 was a banner year for job growth made possible by these incentives, with the announcement of 342 projects representing 13,051 prospective new jobs and 1,896 jobs saved. Those critical job-creation projects represent a more than $2.6 billion investment across the Commonwealth.

Multiple national organizations have recognized Kentucky’s prowess in nurturing and supporting businesses, including:

Major jobs announcements in 2012 include:

2. POWERFUL PRESCRIPTION DRUG LAW SHUTS ILLEGAL PAIN CLINICS
The state’s comprehensive prescription drug law, House Bill 1 (HB1) has been in effect for less than six months but already shows major positive impact in shutting down unlicensed pain clinics, reducing prescriptions of some of the most abused drugs, and accelerating investigations of medical providers with suspicious prescribing habits.

HB1 passed with bipartisan support in a special legislative session this spring. The bill includes multiple elements to prevent the abuse and diversion of prescription drugs and to enhance law enforcement’s tools to investigate illegal prescribing practices.

Since HB1 took effect:

Governor Beshear has joined forces with partners in state and federal government to close loopholes and enact policies to thwart fly-by-night providers and doctor-shoppers who wreak havoc on families and communities through prescription abuse.

3. IMMEDIATE AND LONG-TERM HELP IN DISASTER RECOVERY
The March tornadoes that caused millions in damage and killed two dozen people, mostly in eastern Kentucky, are the 11th federally declared natural disaster of Gov. Beshear’s administration. After those storms, Gov. Beshear visited the disaster areas multiple times, and worked directly with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and state agencies to ensure the affected areas got needed relief assistance immediately.

The tornadoes damaged more than 2,800 homes. Of those, 810 were destroyed. FEMA provided $24.5 million for repair projects, and $10.2 million for individual assistance grants.

Gov. Beshear also accelerated state assistance to areas like West Liberty and Morgan County. State agencies set up temporary offices in damaged areas within hours of the storm. The Governor directed long-term assistance as well, including providing funding for highway reconstruction and downtown redesign and rebuilding.

The summer brought scorching drought that affected nearly every Kentucky county. Eventually, all but 3 of Kentucky’s 120 counties were classified as drought disaster areas by the U.S. Agriculture Secretary. Gov. Beshear worked with the state and federal partners to make sure farm families had access to relief assistance.

4. FASTER, CHEAPER, SAFER: KENTUCKY BRIDGES UNDER CONSTRUCTION
By working across party lines with other governors, accelerating construction timelines and promoting competition among contractors, Gov. Beshear has ensured that Kentucky’s critical transportation arteries are under construction faster than anticipated. Moving quickly to build or repair these bridges will save tens of millions through increased competition and compressed timelines, and creates safer, more reliable transportation for Kentuckians.

5. FOREIGN TRADE TRIPS LEAD TO DIRECT INVESTMENT
Gov. Beshear takes his message of Kentucky’s business-friendly climate and strong workforce directly to job-creators across the globe, and 2012 offered outstanding results. Kentucky is home to approximately 420 foreign-owned companies from 30 nations, employing more than 77,000 people, and the Governor continues to pursue more. Nearly 35 percent of all capital investment and almost 20 percent of all jobs announced in 2012 were a result of foreign-owned enterprises.

Other countries are also making direct investments in the state. China-owned Birtley announced in September it will invest $10 million and create 30 to 50 new, full-time jobs in Lexington. The announcement marks the first Chinese-owned manufacturer in Kentucky.

6. KENTUCKY LEAPS 20 SPOTS IN NATIONAL EDUCATION RANKING
Kentucky’s ranking in an annual grading of all states on key education indicators jumped 20 spots in 2012, placing the state 14th in the nation for its work on academic standards, the teaching profession and many other variables related to public education.

The annual ranking by national publication Education Week is found in a special issue, “Quality Counts.” The report tracks key education indicators and grades states on their policy efforts and outcomes. Last year, Kentucky ranked 34th in the nation in this annual report.

Much of the impetus for Kentucky’s high ranking can be traced to 2009’s Senate Bill 1, which set Kentucky on a course to become a leader nationwide in school accountability, teacher training, college/career readiness and stronger academic standards. Kentucky was also the first state to adopt tough Common Core content standards, which set minimum standards for math and language skills.

7. BUDGET CUTS BALANCE BOOKS, PRIORITIZE EDUCATION
Gov. Beshear balanced Kentucky's budget for the 11th time since taking office, and has now cut a total of $1.6 billion from state expenditures. While reductions have been significant in many parts of state government, significant cuts to our priorities of education, critical public safety programs and job creation efforts have been prevented.

Governor Beshear shrank state government to its smallest size in a generation, and continues to find ways to improve government efficiency with fewer taxpayer dollars.

8. COMMISSION OFFERS FAIRER, SIMPLER, MORE MODERN TAX CODE
Kentucky’s tax system cushioned some of the impact when the nation’s economy ran off the tracks in 2008. But as the state recovers from the recession, Gov. Beshear has begun an effort to make our tax code more fair to taxpayers and our state more attractive to new and existing business.

Early in 2012, the Governor appointed a broad, bipartisan commission to make sure our state doesn’t face another economic crater by failing to update its tax code. A study of our tax system earlier this summer revealed that without significant changes, Kentucky will face a $1 billion shortfall by 2020.

The Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission on Tax Reform just submitted its report to the Governor, which includes dozens of recommendations that could create $659 million in additional revenue. Gov. Beshear will study the report before he meets with legislators to build a consensus on moving forward on changes to our tax code.

9. OVERHAUL OF CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION
In a move to help produce the skilled workforce businesses require today and in the future, Gov. Beshear signed an executive order in August to overhaul the state’s career and technical education (CTE) system.

The order unites the state’s two CTE systems under the guidance of Kentucky’s Department of Education. The goal is to create a unified, more relevant and efficient system to educate and prepare students for the world of work in a real-life setting.

Today’s employers require a workforce that is skilled, adaptable and equipped to compete in the global marketplace. Students need an education system that provides job-training and learning opportunities that will put them on a career pathway. Transforming and elevating CTE is essential to this process.

10. UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE DEAL SAVES BUSINESSES $600 MILLION
Gov. Beshear signed House Bill 495, a measure that provides the resources to pay interest owed on the state’s federal Unemployment Insurance (UI) loan and that will save Kentucky employers $600 million in federal tax penalties.

The bill is the result of collaborative work by Kentucky employer groups. Since January 2009, Kentucky borrowed more than $960 million from the federal government to continue paying UI benefits to eligible Kentuckians, much like other states had to do. If HB 495 had not been enacted and Kentucky could not make the interest payment due Sept. 30, 2012, employers would lose all of the federal tax credit, and the UI tax payable by employers would rise.