HCR 103

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