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SubscribeThe Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) has been selected by the National Conference of State Liquor Administrators (NCSLA) to host the group’s 2017 Northern/Southern Regional Conference.
The conference will be held at the historic Brown Hotel in Louisville from Nov. 5-8 and will bring together regulators, producers, and distributors from 26 states. This year’s meeting will focus on the industry’s top issues and will provide attendees with a forum to collaborate and share best practices.
“The regional NCSLA conference presents our state with a unique opportunity to lead the discussion on the most important topics impacting the alcohol industry,” said ABC Commissioner Christine Trout. “As this year’s hosts, we look forward to welcoming our sister states and showcasing the best of Kentucky.”
NCSLA expects approximately 150 attendees to travel to Louisville for the conference. The four-day meeting will include breakout sessions, guest speakers, and visits to local tourist attractions. Kentucky has been home to NCSLA meetings in the past, hosting annual conferences in both 1950 and 1963.
For more information on the Kentucky Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, visit http://abc.ky.gov.
Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, Kentucky’s chief business official, is reminding Kentucky businesses and those authorized to do business in Kentucky that they must file an annual report with the Secretary of State’s office and pay a $15 filing fee no later than June 30, 2017.
Businesses can quickly file their 2017 annual reports by visiting the Secretary of State’s website. The online report includes information generated from businesses’ prior filings, eliminating the need to enter the same information every year.
“We set a record in 2016 for the number of annual reports filed online – nearly 150,000 – saving both time and money for those businesses and the state,” said Grimes. “You can quickly view your report, make necessary changes, and file it.” Businesses may also file and pay in person or via U.S. mail.
The filing requirement applies to the more than 200,000 corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, limited liability partnerships, business trusts and professional service corporations registered in the commonwealth.
Businesses that fail to file an annual report before the deadline will be listed in bad standing with the Secretary of State and receive a final 60-day notice. Failure to comply with the 60-day notice results in administrative dissolution of the business entity or revocation of authority to do business in Kentucky.
Earlier this week, Attorney General Andy Beshear joined the director of his Office of Victims Advocacy, Gretchen Hunt, and 27 survivors of violent crime in the state Capitol Rotunda to announce the formation of a Survivors Council.
Members of the council will advise and assist the Office of Attorney General on matters related to victims of crime, including advancing victim-centered services, trainings and policy, and raising awareness.
Beshear said the Survivors Council brings together individuals who have survived the violent death of a family member, sexual assault, child sexual abuse, domestic violence, gun violence and other violent crimes to help improve responses to victims in the state.
“These survivors have persevered through the unimaginable, they have real courage and know firsthand what is needed to seek and ensure justice for victims,” said Beshear. “I am thankful to each member for their willingness to devote their time and passion to help pave a better way for other survivors.”
The council will be housed within Beshear’s Office of Victims Advocacy whose mission is to support victims’ rights and victim advocacy programs statewide. The work of the council will be woven into current office initiatives, including the Victim Assistance Conference, Victims’ Rights Day and ongoing training of law enforcement and prosecutors.
“Being victim-centered means that survivors have a seat at the table, not simply to share their story of victimization, but to share their wisdom and insight on how to make the process better for other victims,” said Gretchen Hunt, director of the Office of Victims Advocacy.
A selection of 27 survivor members occurred following an open nomination and application process conducted by the Office of Victims Advocacy.
“As a survivor of child marriage and sexual exploitation, I am thrilled to serve alongside other survivors on this council, knowing the diversity of our experiences will bring powerful contributions to our advocacy,” said council member Donna Pollard. “This council is critical for ensuring victims have the holistic support they deserve. Now is our time to prevent further victimization through improved legislation and educational means.”
“As the father of a survivor who was assaulted, I would like to thank Attorney General Beshear and Director Gretchen Hunt for the opportunity to serve in this endeavor,” said Bradford McClain, council member.
“After my 16-year-old son was shot and killed four years ago, I became disheartened, disappointed and realized there were little to no services or resources for victims’ families,” said council member Tonya Lindsey. “I am very humbled and honored to be appointed to the Survivors Council, where we will work to ensure a positive new direction for Kentucky, one that will better serve and accommodate the needs of victims. Who can tell you better what victims’ needs and concerns are than victims.”
The Survivors Council is the first of its kind in any Attorney General’s office nationwide and the United States Advisory Council on Human Trafficking served as inspiration for the council.
The council will meet quarterly and members can serve up to a two-year term.
Beshear said the Survivors Council announcement comes after a year of great progress on one of his office’s core missions of seeking justice for victims of sexual assault, human trafficking, violent crime and child abuse.
In 2016, Beshear made good on his promise to help end Kentucky’s sexual assault forensic exam (SAFE) kit backlog by providing $4.5 million in settlement money to lawmakers to fund requested Kentucky State Police crime lab upgrades.
Beshear’s office provided an additional $1 million from the settlement to aid law enforcement and prosecutors in conducting victim-centered investigations and prosecuting sexual assault offenders.
The office also held a SAFE summit and is currently helping to train those working to end Kentucky’s backlog.
Most recently, Beshear announced that his office is launching a collaborative research project with the University of Louisville to provide accountability in Kentucky’s efforts to address the backlog and provide justice to victims.
In addition to helping victims of sexual assault, Beshear established the AG’s office as the leading agency fighting human trafficking, a modern-day form of slavery that often involves children forced into sex or labor trading.
His office provided technical assistance on 32 potential human trafficking incidents, which helped identify at least two underage human trafficking victims, and became the first Kentucky government agency to receive a federal human trafficking grant.
In 2016, Beshear’s Cyber Crimes Unit fought back against child sexual abuse by working to arrest more online child predators than any year in the history of the office. The number of arrests, indictments and convictions last year totaled nearly 80.
The Survivors Council is the latest effort to ensure that the work of Kentucky’s Office of the Attorney General remains victim-centered and improves the safety and lives of Kentucky’s citizens.
Kentucky students who attend private or home schools have free access to Individual Learning Plans from the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority.
KHEAA works with Career Cruising, which provides the ILP the state uses in all public schools, to give private and home school students in grades 6 through 12 the same planning tool.
ILPs let students explore careers, set up education plans, create résumés and establish personal goals to become college and career ready.
A private or home school student who wants to set up an ILP should log in on kheaa.com. Private schools that want to set up accounts for their students should contact their regional outreach counselor. Contact information can be found behind the Counselors tab at kheaa.com by selecting KHEAA Outreach Services, then Outreach Counselors.
KHEAA is the state agency that administers the Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES), need-based grants and other programs to help students pay their higher education expenses.
For more information about Kentucky scholarships and grants, visit www.kheaa.com; write KHEAA, P.O. Box 798, Frankfort, KY 40602; or call 800-928-8926, ext. 6-7214.
Justices and judges from across Kentucky recently joined the statewide discussion on the escalating opioid epidemic at the court system’s first-ever summit on this crisis. Chief Justice of Kentucky John D. Minton Jr. hosted the Kentucky Opioid Summit for the state’s justices and judges Jan. 25 in Louisville. The summit was attended by 168 Supreme Court justices and Court of Appeals, Circuit Court, Family Court and District Court judges.
“One of the most serious challenges facing Kentucky is the opioid epidemic, which is destroying lives, devastating families and increasing drug-related cases in the courts,” Chief Justice Minton said. “The court system has a significant role to play in meeting the legal demands and human needs of this crisis. I called this summit because we must gain a better understanding of addiction and treatment so we can make informed decisions from the bench and develop a plan to work with other agencies.”
Chief Justice Minton began working on a Kentucky-specific summit after attending the first Regional Judicial Opioid Summit in August 2016. The Supreme Court of Ohio hosted that event for surrounding states heavily affected by the opioid epidemic: Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. The regional summit goal was to create a framework to coordinate the efforts of state and federal policymakers to combat the opioid epidemic.
“The opioid epidemic is one of the most serious public health and safety issues facing Kentucky today and judges must know how to handle these drug-related cases appropriately,” Chief Justice Minton said. The Kentucky Opioid Summit covered case law, statutes and Americans with Disabilities Act regulations regarding medication-assisted treatment. It also focused on the science of treating addiction and government’s role in combating the opioid epidemic. Opioids are a class of drugs that include the illegal drug heroin and powerful pain relievers, such as hydrocodone and oxycodone. Kentucky is one of the top five states in opioid overdose deaths per capita, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Medication-assisted treatment involves providing medications to opioid addicts to ease withdrawal systems and reduce cravings. The justices and judges heard about the law, liability and ethics of medication-assisted treatment from attorney Douglas L. McSwain of Wyatt Tarrant & Combs. Dr. Joshua Lee of the New York University of Medicine provided a session on the neuroscience of medication-assisted treatment.
One way the Kentucky court system addresses substance use disorder is through Kentucky Drug Court. Drug Court programs in 16 counties are now using medication-assisted treatment to help some participants with opioid addiction.
Justices and judges participated in two panel presentations as part of the event. In a panel session on opioid use disorder and the criminal justice system, discussions were about criminal justice and legislative efforts to address the epidemic, the science of treating someone with an opioid use disorder, the history of the opioid epidemic and current crime trends related to opioid use. Panelists were Chief Justice Minton, Secretary John Tilley of the state Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, Executive Director Van Ingram of the state Office of Drug Control Policy, Louisville Metro Police Chief Steve Conrad, and Dr. Michelle R. Lofwall, a medical doctor who is an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral science with the University of Kentucky’s Center on Drug and Alcohol Research.
The second panel focused on state government’s role in dealing with the growing opioid problem. The session included a presentation on the state’s comprehensive plan to reduce overdose-related deaths by Adam M. Meier, Gov. Matt Bevin’s deputy chief of staff and health policy advisor. Panelists also covered the scope of the epidemic, the impact on children and families, evidence-based treatment, and KASPER’s part in addressing prescription drug use disorder. KASPER is Kentucky’s prescription drug monitoring program.
The panel also discussed strategies for reducing the issues resulting from opioid use, such as offering syringe exchange programs and Naloxone, which is a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration to prevent opioid overdose. In addition to Meier, panelists were Deputy Secretary and former judge Timothy Feeley of the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Commissioner Dr. Hiram C. Polk of the Department of Public Health, KASPER program manager David R. Hopkins and Dr. Allen J. Brenzel, medical director for the state Department of Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities.
The Division of Judicial Branch Education at the Administrative Office of the Courts provided the summit.
The Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) promoted National Data Privacy Day on Saturday, Jan. 28, by encouraging Kentuckians to create strong online passwords to keep their personal information secure.
Data Privacy Day is an international effort led by The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA) to raise awareness about the importance of protecting personal information. According to NCSA, weak or stolen credentials, including passwords, are a leading cause of online data breaches.
“Creating stronger passwords is an important first step in safeguarding your financial and personal data,” said DFI Deputy Commissioner Brian Raley. “You can improve your passwords by changing them often and creating unique login credentials that cannot be predicted by cyber criminals.”
DFI recommends the following best practices for creating strong, secure passwords:
- Do not use the same password for each account.
- Make your password unpredictable by including uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.
- Passwords should be 8 to 12 characters in length.
- Do not use a common date, name, or word in your password.
- Change your password every 3 to 4 months to provide added protection.
- Do not use the “remember passwords” setting on your devices or accounts.
If you experience a personal data breach, you should notify your bank and credit agencies and immediately change your passwords.
DFI provides online data privacy resources at http://kfi.ky.gov/.
For more information about Data Privacy Day, visit https://staysafeonline.org/data-privacy-day/about.
The Jefferson County Public School (JCPS) District will conduct its annual Comprehensive School Survey (CSS) from Feb. 1 to March 24, 2017. The CSS is provided annually to all staff, parents/guardians and students in grades four through twelve for the purpose of collecting data concerning academic indicators, school community, service, environment, safety and employee job satisfaction.
“The CSS is a valuable resource to gather insight, identify specific needs and craft strategies to help us ensure student success,” said JCPS Superintendent Dr. Donna Hargens. “I encourage all parents and employees to complete the survey so we have their feedback as we continue to improve the learning environment for our students.”
Students in grades four through twelve will complete the CSS at school during the school day. All parents/guardians who have registered for Parent Portal will receive an email with a link directing them to the CSS online. Parents who do not have computer access or an email account will be provided with a paper-and-pencil survey. Schools are being asked to provide parents with access to the school’s computer lab to complete their survey online. Parents are encouraged to complete the CSS to ensure that their feedback is part of the district’s decision-making process.
JCPS employees with district email accounts will receive an email that contains a link to the staff CSS online. Employees who do not have a district email account and/or a computer will be provided access to the staff CSS online. Using the CSS online will allow parents and staff to complete their surveys in a faster, more efficient manner. The surveys are completely anonymous.
The Jefferson County Board of Education (JCBE) mandated that the CSS be conducted on an annual basis, beginning with the 1997-98 school year. The district uses the annual CSS data for a variety of purposes, including the following:
- JCPS Vision 2020: Excellence With Equity review
- Comprehensive District Improvement Plan (CDIP) development
- Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP) development
- Strategic planning, policy making and benchmarking processes
- Formative evaluation of programs, projects, innovations and grants
CSS results from previous years are available on the JCPS website.