CHFS Touts Successful First Year of Red Tape Reduction Initiative
Frankfort, KY (Oct. 2,
2017) -- The Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS) is working to
eliminate numerous regulations reviewed as part of the state government wide
Red Tape Reduction initiative that were determined to be outdated, burdensome
or unnecessary for the public. An additional 44 percent of the regulations
reviewed by the Cabinet have been identified for updates.
Red Tape Reduction is an initiative spearheaded by Governor Matt Bevin
to identify regulatory burdens that deter businesses from growing or locating
within the state.
“While many of our statutes and regulations
are adequately designed to protect the health and safety of Kentuckians, there
are many others that serve as a barrier to doing business in Kentucky – and
that isn’t good for the public either,” said CHFS Sec. Vickie Yates Brown
Glisson. “In order to build a healthier and more successful Commonwealth, we
have to evolve our statutory and regulatory frameworks to meet today’s needs
and demands.”
The goal of the Red Tape Reduction initiative is to allow
businesses to operate in a modernized regulatory system that provides them with
the flexibility they need to serve their customers.
As part of its Red Tape Reduction, CHFS
collaborated with the Kentucky General Assembly during the 2017 Session to
address outdated and ineffective statutes. In this regard, Senator Ralph
Alvarado (R-Winchester) sponsored two bills on behalf of CHFS targeting the red
tape reduction initiative.
- Senate
Bill 94 proposed to repeal 13 statutes, which were outdated and no longer
necessary.
- Senate
Bill 95 proposed to repeal 23 outdated statutes and update an additional 31 to
eliminated excessive requirements that no longer provide value. For example, the cabinet was given the
flexibility to provide information for specific programs upon request rather
than through a statutorily mandated report. Several outdated boards or
commissions were eliminated or were revised to meet current need.
- SB
94 and SB 95 were ultimately incorporated into House Bill 276 and passed by the
General Assembly.
“We were able to repeal three
dozen outdated statutes and bring almost that many more up-to-date,” said Sen.
Alvarado. “We’re working to lift burdensome regulations so we can focus on
streamlining services to Kentuckians.”
Representative Kim Moser (R-Taylor Mill)
also filed HB 158 on behalf of the cabinet to align the state and federal
controlled substance schedules. Prior to
this statutory change, state statutes and regulations could not align with
federal schedules. This bill incorporates the federal drug schedules into
Kentucky statutes while providing the Commonwealth with the flexibility to
up-schedule drugs that the state identities for abuse. This legislation also
provided CHFS with a way to consolidate multiple regulations on controlled drug
schedules into one regulation.
“As a registered nurse and as the Northern Kentucky Director
of the Office of Drug Control Policy, I was proud to sponsor HB 158,” said Rep.
Moser. “The simple alignment of state and federal controlled substance
schedules, or categories, eliminates confusion and makes it easier for us to
detect abuse.”
CHFS recently created the Office of Legislative and Regulatory Affairs
within the agency. House Bill 226 from the 2017 legislative session established
the new office, which coordinates activities related the Cabinet’s public
policy initiatives and administrative and legislative agendas with other
governmental and private agencies. The office will be responsible for
coordination and oversight of over 660 regulations in the Cabinet on behalf of
the Office of the Secretary, including Governor’s Red Tape Reduction.
“We continue to look for ways to streamline
our processes so that the people doing business with our cabinet are not
burdened with unnecessary or duplicative requirements,” concluded Sec. Glisson.
“We commend all who have partnered with us in these efforts and look forward to
continued input on ways to make government more efficient and easier to
navigate.”
For more information about CHFS and its programs, log on to chfs.ky.gov.
The Cabinet for Health and Family Services is home to most
of the state's human services and healthcare programs, including the Department
for Medicaid Services, the Department for Community Based Services, the Department for Aging and Independent Living, the
Department for Public Health and the Department for Behavioral Health,
Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities. CHFS is one of the largest
agencies in state government, with nearly 8,000 full- and part-time employees
located across the Commonwealth focused on improving the lives and health of
Kentuckians.
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