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Attorney General Andy Beshear today joined with other state attorneys general to send a letter to federal officials expressing concern over the withdrawal of critical student loan servicing reforms.
The multistate letter – co-sponsored by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, and joined by 19 attorneys general and the Office of Consumer Protection of Hawaii – was sent today to the U.S. Department of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in opposition to the Department’s recent rollback of guidance intended to reform the student loan servicing industry.
“Federal student loan default rates continue to rise across the country and many face crushing loan debt and credit score ruin,” said Beshear. “The Department has abandoned its responsibility to millions of student loan borrowers and their families across the country. Borrowers are now left more susceptible to poor practices and abuses that the servicing reforms were intended to thwart.”
The guidance, issued by the Department of Education last year, centered on helping borrowers get accurate information about their loans and repayment options, ensuring the consistency of service provided by student loan servicers, increasing servicer accountability, and enhancing transparency.
The reforms also aimed to improve borrowers’ access to affordable loan repayment plans designed to help borrowers in distress avoid default and curtail loan servicer misconduct.
Beshear said the letter provides a voice for those borrowers who regularly file complaints with the attorneys general about not receiving the necessary guidance from their loan servicers to make sound decisions about repayment.
According to the letter, borrowers struggle under the weight of their student loan debt. In 2015, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau estimated that more than 25 percent of student loan borrowers were delinquent or in default on a student loan.
“Many such borrowers would benefit greatly from entering income-driven repayment plans but are prevented from doing so by student loan servicer misconduct and misinformation,” the letter states.
Joining today’s letter with Attorney General Beshear are the attorneys general of Massachusetts, Illinois, California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and the District of Columbia, as well as the Executive Director of the Office of Consumer Protection of Hawaii.
Photo: KY Education and Workforce Development
The Work Ready Skills Advisory Committee, formed to review and select proposals for the Commonwealth’s new $100 million workforce bond program, has identified 21 projects for continued consideration for second-round funding. The committee plans to award about $34 million in the second round.
The 10-member committee met today to review 41 applications that requested a total of more than $165 million. The projects include construction and renovation of facilities and the purchase of new equipment aimed at providing workforce training and education in Kentucky’s top five growth sectors of advanced manufacturing, transportation and logistics, business services and information technology, healthcare, and construction trades. The committee is scheduled to reconvene in May to interview the 21 applicants that have requested nearly $77 million for projects.
“We continue to see strong applications from across Kentucky in the second round as communities strive to improve their workforce,” said Education and Workforce Development Cabinet Secretary Hal Heiner, who chairs the committee. “The Work Ready Skills Initiative has created a lot of excitement among employers, educators, community leaders and elected officials that want their communities to be leaders in the high-demand technology jobs of the future.”
Launched in July 2016, the Work Ready Skills Initiative is aimed at developing a highly trained, modernized workforce to meet the needs of employers and promote sustainable incomes for Kentuckians. On Jan. 31, the committee awarded about $65.5 million to 25 projects in the first round of funding.
The following projects from across Kentucky are still under consideration for the second round of funding:
Adair County Board of Education
Big Sandy Community & Technical College
Breckinridge County Area Technology Center
Christian County Public Schools
Estill County Board of Education
Frankfort Independent Schools
Freestore Foodbank
Garrard County Schools
Gateway Community & Technical College
Green River/Hart County & Caverna Schools
Home Builders Association of Northern Kentucky
Johnson County Schools (GREATT)
Kenton County Schools
Logan County Schools
Mason County Schools
McCracken County Public Schools
Ohio County Work Ready Committee
Russell County Board of Education
Taylor County School District
University of the Cumberlands
Washington County Schools
For more information about the Kentucky Work Ready Skills Initiative, please visit www.KentuckyWorkReady.com.
Attorney General Andy Beshear announced today that Kentucky received $93,415,537 million in tobacco settlement money this week.
“For nearly 20 years the landmark Master Settlement Agreement has made a positive impact on the Commonwealth, supporting early childhood education, health programs, cancer research, and helping to aid our farmers and create sustainable farm-based businesses,” Beshear said. “Since the first payment in 1999, Kentucky has collected over $2 billion under the agreement, and is on pace to collect nearly $3 billion over the first 25 years of the agreement.”
On behalf of the state, Beshear’s office monitors and enforces the terms of the Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) and the related statutes, in cooperation with other agencies including the Department of Revenue and the Office of State Budget Director.
Each state determines how the MSA funds are distributed and spent.
In Kentucky, the General Assembly has designated half of the MSA funds be invested in agricultural diversification through grants issued by the Governor’s Office of Agriculture Policy, which administers the Kentucky Agriculture Development Fund.
Under the MSA, the tobacco companies agreed to make annual payments, in perpetuity, worth approximately $208 billion to states and territories that are signatories to the agreement.
Since 1998, tobacco companies have had to compensate states for some of the medical costs associated with tobacco-related illnesses and restrict advertising and promotion of cigarettes in the United States. The payments are determined according to a formula calculated, in part, by the number of cigarettes sold by companies that have agreed to join the settlement.
The three largest cigarette manufacturers – Philip Morris USA, RJ Reynolds and Lorillard (the latter two now merged as Reynolds American) – pay most of the MSA payment.
The Tobacco Settlement Agreement Fund Oversight Committee oversees the determinations on grant applications from the agricultural fund. Kentucky’s additional MSA revenues are used to help improve the health outcomes of Kentucky children and families.
Photo: Care Innovations
Mayor Greg Fischer and Gov. Matt Bevin today announced Care Innovations LLC, a telehealth company specializing in designing, developing, and optimizing remote care delivery programs, will invest nearly $1.7 million to relocate and expand its research and development center, creating 24 high-wage jobs in Louisville.
“Louisville is seeing tremendous advancements in analytics, data science and technology within our lifelong wellness and aging cluster. Care Innovations’ expansion is a great example of how technology can innovate to meet the market’s advanced industry growth,” the Mayor said. “I welcome the company’s innovative solutions to bettering patient care, and look forward to its future success and growth.”
Care Innovations will relocate from its 1,900 square-foot Prospect office to a more than 7,000 square-foot space on Fourth Street in Louisville. The new office will provide additional room for software development, analytics and testing.
“Care Innovations located in Prospect less than 18 months ago, confident they would be able to tap into Louisville’s tech and healthcare industry expertise,” Gov. Bevin said. “That confidence was not misplaced, and Care Innovations is now moving to larger offices that will better accommodate their substantial and consistent growth. We congratulate them on their impressive efforts and look forward to their continued progress.”
The company, based in Roseville, Calif., opened its Prospect office in October 2015 to better reach its customers, build relationships with industry leaders and analysts and attract strong technology and healthcare talent.
“As we continue to partner with major healthcare systems and health plans both nationwide and internationally on their goal to provide continuous care, it is imperative that we expand our talent, and Louisville’s growing healthcare market is ideal for doing just that,” said Randall Swanson, CEO of Care Innovations.
Also known as RPM, remote patient management is a form of telehealth that uses information technology to gather patient data outside of traditional healthcare settings. By moving care into patients’ homes, clinicians can provide proactive care, rather than reactive, which may help reduce hospitalizations, improve outcomes and lower costs.
Care Innovations has been an advisor and leading provider in the remote patient management and telehealth industry for more than 10 years. The company partners with payers, healthcare providers and home health companies to make continuous care easier by employing its service suite, technology and education offerings to design, develop and deliver remote care. Doing so helps Care Innovations’ customers reduce costs and improve patient outcomes outside of traditional clinical settings.
To encourage the investment and job growth in the Louisville area, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) in January preliminarily approved Care Innovations for tax incentives up to $500,000 through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the agreement term through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.
For more information on Care Innovations, visit www.careinnovations.com.
Passport Health Plan announced today that it has acquired a significant West Louisville property at 18th Street and Broadway. Passport’s plan for the 20-acre site is to create a state-of-the-art Health and Wellness Campus to serve the needs of the local community and house its 500-plus employees in its new corporate headquarters.
Plans for the campus would include health- and service-based retail sites adjacent to the newly announced YMCA facility. Together, the new developments will help transform this important section of West Louisville by providing much-needed services, jobs, and economic development opportunities. Before construction begins, Passport will engage the West Louisville community through a series of meetings and listening sessions to hear about residents’ needs and desires for the Health and Wellness Campus.
“Passport Health Plan is growing because of the great service we provide to our members, and we need to find a new home for our current and future employees,” CEO Mark B. Carter said at a news conference announcing the purchase. “After 20 years in the Louisville community, we realize that to truly meet our mission – to improve the health and quality of life of our members – we need to build a new model in healthcare. This new campus, and our initiative to integrate social determinants of health into our health plan, will ensure access to resources and services in our community and beyond to help our members flourish in all aspects of their lives.”
The corporate headquarters will initially be home to Passport’s current 500-plus employees, but will be designed with the extensive future growth in mind.
“With our community partners and local residents, we hope to add services to the community beyond clinical care, services that are person-centered,” Carter added. “We realize that access to housing, food, jobs, and other resources are key drivers to good health and wellness, and we look forward to facilitating a number of community conversations over the coming months as we strive to help transform and revitalize our community.”
According to the financial terms of the deal, Passport has acquired the parcels from New Bridge Development for $9.1 million. A letter of intent with Metro Louisville includes provisions subject to Metro Council approval, including the creation of a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) plan – the first TIF established west of 9th Street – estimated at $2.8-$4 million over 20 years.
“Passport is a great and growing company and its decision to relocate its headquarters to 18th and Broadway is a huge win for west Louisville – and for the city at large,” said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. “Passport and its employees are driven by the same core values that we embrace as a city – compassion, health, and lifelong learning. Metro Government is honored to help make this deal a reality.”
Moving to West Louisville will allow Passport to work more closely with members in a new model that addresses the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age. By creating a new corporate home in West Louisville, Passport aims to improve the environment in which it works while also enhancing efficiency and effectiveness, placing a high priority on a working environment that encourages excellence and engagement on the part of all associates.
“For years, the University of Louisville has been collaborating with a large number of organizations through the Signature Partnership to enhance overall well-being on the West Side of Louisville,” said Dr. Greg C. Postel, interim president of the University of Louisville. “Having Passport, a company strictly focused on improving the health not only of individuals but also communities, establish its headquarters in the neighborhood will bring renewed energy to all of our efforts.”
Passport Health Plan is a provider-sponsored, non-profit managed care organization (MCO) that has been contracted with the Commonwealth of Kentucky to administer Medicaid benefits since 1997. It is sponsored by the University of Louisville Physicians, University Medical Center, Jewish Heritage Fund for Excellence, Norton Healthcare, and the Louisville/Jefferson County Primary Care Association. It has been serving residents in all 120 counties of Kentucky since 2004, and currently counts more than 300,000 Kentuckians as members. There are also more than 25,000 providers in Passport’s provider network, including primary care physicians, hospitals, specialists, and more.
Members of the faith-based community in the Louisville area are invited to learn more about Governor Matt Bevin’s “Open Hearts/Open Homes” initiative during a series of breakfast events later this month.
The Jefferson County Office of the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS), which coordinates the foster care and adoption program within the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS), is sponsoring several free “Kickoff Breakfasts” for faith-based community partners. Everyone is invited for a meal and fellowship to discuss the state’s need for more adoptive families.
Gov. Bevin launched Open Hearts/Open Homes in March at a Frankfort summit of more than 200 partners as part of his pledge to improve the state’s adoption and foster care system. Open Hearts/Open Homes aims to find permanent placements for those children in foster care with a goal of adoption by relying on the state’s churches, nonprofit groups and caring individuals.
Gov. Bevin said he hopes to see the Louisville-area network of churches become involved in Open Hearts/Open Homes.
“We are asking our churches to help lead on this issue,” Gov. Bevin said. “Church leaders and members are encouraged to consider the life-changing journey of foster care and adoption. With the commitment of these incredible communities, we can give these children the forever homes with loving families.”
Of the state’s 8,000 plus children in out of home care, more than 1,000 are in Jefferson County. Each session begins at 9 a.m. and include a short presentation about the foster care and adoption program and a question and answer session with those in attendance. Each event will close with prayer at 10 a.m.
Here is the schedule for the breakfast sessions in Louisville this month.
- April 25: Bridges of Hope Neighborhood Place, 1411 Algonquin Parkway
- April 26: Charmoli Neighborhood Place (Middletown), 200 Juneau Drive, Suite 200
- April 27: Fairdale Neighborhood Place (Fairdale), 1000 Neighborhood Place (off National Turnpike, behind the South Park TAPP School)
- April 28: Youth for Christ Building, 4102 W. Market St.
Because of limited seating, RSVPs are required and should be sent to patricia.franke@ky.gov. Please limit number of attendees to two per organization.
CHFS Secretary Vickie Yates Brown Glisson said Gov. and First Lady Glenna Bevin are putting all Kentucky children first in their efforts to improve the Commonwealth.
“Gov. Bevin and the First Lady are exceptional ambassadors for our foster and adoption services,” Glisson said. “Thanks to the Governor’s servant leadership we are now in position to discuss the great need around this issue and engage many more loving families into the foster and adoptive communities.”
For more information about how you can become a foster or adoptive parent, or to get more general information simply email: openhearts@ky.gov, go to the state adoption website adopt.ky.gov, which helps families more easily navigate the foster care and adoption process or call 1-800-232-KIDS (5437).
It’s time to take your shot at $1 million! The Stock Yards Bank Kentucky Derby Festival $1 Million Dollar Hole-In-One Golf Contest opens this Thursday, April 20, and runs through Sunday, April 30. The contest will take place at the Seneca Golf Course Driving Range off Pee Wee Reese Road. There will be 10 days of preliminary qualifying rounds and a Semi-final Round on Sunday, April 30.
The preliminary competition is open 10 AM to 8:30 PM every day from April 20 – April 30, except for April 22, when it will be closed for Thunder Over Louisville. The last day for preliminary competition is Sunday, April 30, from 10 AM to 5 PM, and then the Semi-Final round begins at 6 PM. Competitors and spectators can relax in the refreshment tent located adjacent to the tee area.
During the preliminary rounds the 10 closest shots to the hole each day will advance to the Semi-final round, while hole-in-one shots, will advance directly to the Finals. It’s $1 per shot daily, with 2 shots for $1 specials on the following days:
- Senior Days (62+): Weekdays 10 AM – 2 PM
- Junior Day (under 18): April 23
- First Responders & Veterans Day: April 24
- Ladies Day: April 25
There are a total of 56 positions in the Finals, which include all daily hole-in-one qualifiers, four female qualifiers from Ladies’ Day, plus two qualifiers under the age of 18 from Junior Day advance as well. The Finals will be held on Tuesday, May 2, at 6 PM at Seneca Golf Course Hole #8. If no hole in one is awarded during the Grand Prize round, the participant coming closest to the hole during the Finals will receive a $5,000 first prize.
Stock Yards Bank is the title sponsor of the event. Contributing Sponsor is Metro Parks & Recreation, joining Media Sponsors WLKY TV, 840 WHAS and Insider Louisville
Since 1956, the Derby Festival has worked to bring the community together in celebration. The Festival is an independent community organization supported by 4,000 volunteers, 400 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
