Video & Transcript Research : 'workforce'
Page 69 of 368
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on State Administration May 21st, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- Sure, Jay Sturgis, Labor and Workforce Development Agency.
- Item number two, labor and workforce. Development Fund.
- If this continue, we are losing such a vital workforce that are the scientists.
- Yet those same policies are impacting his own workforce.
- And we need to help them so that they're prepared for the future workforce.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Housing Finance and Policy Committee 4/8/25
Housing Finance and Policy
Transcript Highlights:
- > greater Minnesota workforce housing greater Minnesota workforce housing development<00:03:24.480>
<00:18:42.080>- The workforce and affordable home 27.
home <00:13:11.760>ownership workforce and affordable home ownership workforce and affordableand investments in the workforce and investments in the workforce and affordable - c> and<00:29:41.200>
affordable included in workforce and affordable included in workforce
MN
Transcript Highlights:
- overtime can have on the workforce overtime can have on the workforce overall<00:21:37.080>
it's - This proposal will exacerbate an already dire workforce crisis.
- It is not an infusion of new money to help give our hardworking workforce a raise.
- <01:31:52.639>
a <01:31:52.840>raise Workforce a raise Workforce a raise we<01:31:54.679 - stabilizing the long-term care Workforce stabilizing the long-term care Workforce over<01:46:43.520
HI
Transcript Highlights:
- families, businesses, and workforce.
- families, businesses, and workforce.
- families, businesses, and workforce.
- families, businesses, and workforce.
- <03:33:57.239>
Workforce <03:33:57.880>we culinary Workforce Workforce we culinary
Summary:
The joint Ways and Means and Finance informational briefing on grants and aids was held February 14 and was organized as a high-volume public testimony session with strict procedures: no Q&A, one representative per applicant, one minute per testimony, in-person testimony first, and then Zoom participants. The chairs also announced a recess at 11:00 a.m. for floor sessions and a reconvening at 1:00 p.m. Testimony was heard first from neighbor island applicants, then Oʻahu applicants, with members repeatedly directing speakers to line up and keep remarks brief.
Neighbor island testimony focused on a wide range of capital and operating requests. Health and community projects included Hawaii Island Community Health Center’s workforce housing in Kau, Wuli Hawaiian Homestead Association’s learning center and predevelopment work, Rescue Tube Foundation’s beach rescue tube expansion, Puna Community Medical Center’s planned hospital/ER campus, Maui Humane Society’s free veterinary care after the wildfires, Hawaiʻi Care Choices’ palliative care readiness, and the Lyman Museum’s HVAC replacement. Other requests included the Maui Advanced Manufacturing Alliance’s Pāʻia Mill redevelopment, Laua 2020’s preschool and learning lab, Mālama Aina’s USDA-compliant meat processing facility, the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association’s water safety programs, Kaha P Organization’s agriculture education support, Ohana Arts’ youth performance project, Friends of the Children’s Justice Center’s emergency closet, EOA Pacific’s Marshall Islands teacher training, and the Central Pacific Youth Athletic Club’s new facility.
Oʻahu testimony included the YWCA Oʻahu/Pythink Center’s renovation of Juliet M. Atherton Hall and its community kitchen, West Oʻahu Community Health Center’s wildfire protection and security needs, the Early School’s playground improvements, Surfing the Nations’ food distribution center expansion, and Sounding Joy Music Therapy’s weekly services for people with disabilities. Speakers generally emphasized community benefit, workforce development, health access, food security, disaster recovery, and support for children, seniors, and underserved populations. No votes or formal committee actions were taken during the briefing.
NH
Transcript Highlights:
- partner with um creating a workforce partner with um creating a workforce coming<00:43:28.640>
uh possibilities for workforce uh possibilities for workforce development<00:44:24.160>and - program. entering the workforce with a credential entering the workforce with a credential or<00:47:
- workforce program. workforce program.
- Mountains Community College in workforce Mountains Community College in workforce development<00
MA
Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets Jun 21st, 2026 at 11:00 am
Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets
Transcript Highlights:
- And I'll just put in a plug for some workforce training down there.
- This is how we will deliver on our promise to prepare students for today's workforce.
- That's the workforce of the future. So divide it equally amongst us.
- That's the workforce of the future. So it divided equally amongst us.
- If they do it on their own workforce, then they're going to do it with their own workforce, but if they're
Summary:
The committee heard testimony on the BRIGHT Act, a higher education capital bill that would use Fair Share surtax revenue to fund major repairs, modernization, and decarbonization projects across UMass, state universities, and community colleges. UMass leadership described a $4.8 billion deferred maintenance backlog, aging buildings, and the need to modernize facilities, improve accessibility, and reduce emissions. Administration officials said the bill would authorize $2.5 billion in capital funding, split roughly 50-50 between UMass and the rest of public higher education, plus additional targeted funding for housing planning, smaller modernization projects, campus master plans, and workforce skills grants. They emphasized that the financing structure is modeled on the Commonwealth Transportation Fund and would not raise student costs, while also supporting affordability through financial aid and free community college.
Members raised questions about regional equity, the distribution of funds among the five UMass campuses and the 24 state university/community college campuses, project labor agreements, whether the bill would unlock private or federal matching funds, and how the system is preparing for AI and changing workforce needs. UMass officials said project selection is data-driven, based on deferred maintenance, safety, accessibility, sustainability, and programmatic needs, and that the flagship campus in Western Massachusetts would likely receive a large share because of its size and needs. They also said UMass Boston would receive its own share and would not be shortchanged by the Bayside project. On labor, they said PLAs are commonly used and they would follow existing board and building authority policies. On affordability, they said the university has shifted hundreds of millions into need-based aid and that the state’s recent support has helped keep tuition low for many students.
DCAMM and higher education officials said the state’s public campuses account for a large share of state-owned building space and a disproportionate share of operational carbon emissions, making decarbonization a major driver of the bill. They said the legislation would allow larger, more comprehensive projects that can address deferred maintenance, energy efficiency, and program needs at the same time, while also making some projects shovel-ready through the Fair Share supplemental funding already appropriated. A later panel from the State Universities Council of Presidents argued the bill’s authorization is still too small to meet long-term needs and urged the committee to increase the bond cap and ensure a more equitable distribution among segments. No votes or final actions were taken in the portion of the meeting provided.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Conference Committee on H.F. 4188 - Omnibus Commerce and Consumer Protection - Part 2 - 05/12/26
Transcript Highlights:
- <00:18:48.320>
shortage The home care nursing workforce shortage The home care nursing workforce - health workforce. health workforce.
- . workforce. workforce.
- Today's mental health workforce.
- , our mental health workforce, our mental health workforce, particularly<00:37:39.600>
in <
Summary:
The committee heard public testimony on a health insurance/home care nursing provision and on other consumer protection items. Nick Keis and Emily Walters, both parents of medically complex children, testified that commercial health plans had recently begun capping home care nursing as if it were intermittent home health visits, which they said was contrary to Minnesota law and legislative intent dating to 2010. They described severe impacts on their families, including hospitalizations, loss of nursing coverage, strain on waiver budgets, and the risk of children being forced out of the home and into institutions. Representative Bierman echoed that the bill was a straightforward clarification of existing law, not a new mandate or added cost, and a staff member later cited the statutory definition of home care nursing as ongoing, continuous nursing services that cannot be met through intermittent or visit-based care. The committee also discussed the practical difference between home health visits and private duty/home care nursing, with testimony emphasizing that the latter is medically necessary, assessed, and not unlimited in practice.
Laura Sales of the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office testified on changes to the Consumer Protection Restitution Fund (CIPRA). She said the fund has begun distributing restitution, starting with consumers harmed by the closure of Woodbury Dental Arts, but that current statutory language limits the office’s flexibility to prorate payments. She asked for an amendment allowing the AGO to distribute available funds more equitably so more eligible consumers can receive some payment, rather than requiring full payment to the oldest claims first.
Annette Meeks, representing Citizens Against Gambling Expansion, testified in support of banning sweepstakes gambling in the Commerce Committee omnibus report. She argued that online sweepstakes casinos are an illegal gray-market form of gambling, cited rapid growth and billions in revenue, and said other states have acted through enforcement and legislation to stop them. She urged the committee to include language from Senate File 4474 to clarify state law and prohibit sweepstakes gambling. No votes were taken in the portion of the meeting shown; members mainly asked questions and received testimony.
TX
Transcript Highlights:
- Texas faces workforce shortages in critical areas and reducing the educated workforce by excluding these
- Texas faces a growing... workforce crisis.
- We have a job shortage, we have a workforce shortage as it is.
- an educated workforce force.
- It's about competitive and educated workforce.
Bills:
HB232
Keywords:
disaster recovery, natural disaster, weather disaster, emergency relief, flood relief, hurricane relief, storm damage, wildfire, tornado, hail, windstorm, extreme heat, ice storm, snowstorm, property damage, personal injury, temporary housing, relocation assistance, lost wages, state emergency management
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Higher Education Committee Apr 8th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- While UC does have some workforce housing and continues to build workforce housing, it only has approximately
- Existing UC workforce housing has Existing UC workforce housing has not been focused on low-income employees
- I understand the notion of workforce housing.
- Noncredit programs are essential to California's workforce development.
- California's economic future depends on a skilled, inclusive workforce.
Summary:
The Assembly Higher Education Committee met with a quorum and first approved a consent calendar containing AB 341, AB 1098, and AB 1316, sending those measures to the Human Services, Judiciary, and Appropriations Committees respectively. The committee then heard AB 977, which would require CSU to audit surplus land and work with California tribes to identify three regional burial sites for Native American remains that cannot yet be repatriated. Supporters, including tribal leaders and archaeology groups, said the bill is needed to honor ancestors and address the large number of remains still held by CSU; CSU said it is committed to repatriation but had no formal position. The bill passed to Appropriations on a 5-0 vote.
Members also heard AB 1093, creating a California-Mexico higher education exchange program, and AB 1035, expanding the California College Promise to cover tuition for students pursuing community college bachelor’s degrees. AB 1093 drew support for strengthening cross-border educational and economic ties, but some members raised concerns about border-region sewage problems and the bill’s budget implications; it was held for later consideration. AB 1035 received strong support from community college leaders and faculty who said it would help low-income and first-generation students complete workforce-focused bachelor’s degrees, but several members questioned whether it would stretch Prop. 98 funding and whether the state should prioritize broader affordability concerns. AB 1035 passed to Appropriations on a 3-2 vote.
The committee next approved AB 922, which would let the University of California keep access to federal criminal-history information for hiring background checks, avoiding delays and added costs if statutory authority is required. UC said the bill is needed to maintain safety and hiring operations, and it passed to Public Safety on a 5-0 vote. AB 1346, protecting military dependents from losing in-state residency status because of family travel, also passed unanimously to Military and Veterans Affairs. AB 1212, allowing UC to use low-income housing tax credits to build affordable housing for faculty and staff on UC land, drew support from UC and labor groups but opposition from members concerned about preferential access to public resources; it was held for later action. Finally, the committee approved AB 500 and AB 684, both aimed at increasing transparency around UC admissions policy changes and UC BOARS decision-making, sending AB 500 to Education and AB 684 to Governmental Organization, each on 5-0 votes. The hearing then moved on to AB 1122 on dual enrollment, with the author and witnesses presenting the bill as a way to expand college access for high school students.
FL
Florida 2026 Regular Session
Appropriations Committee on Higher Education Feb 12th, 2026
Appropriations Committee on Higher Education
Transcript Highlights:
- I also want to compliment the university as being such a regional, very strong workforce university.
- What you're doing with the credentialing program you have workforce credentials is really innovative.
- And I am sure that will continue... ...workforce credentials is really innovative.
- , And to make sure that FGCU continues to provide the workforce for the future.
- As I said previously, I've been very impressed with the workforce issues, programs you're doing.
Summary:
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Higher Education opened by noting it would not present its budget that day, explaining the budget rollout would be delayed until the following week to align with House partners and Senate notice requirements. After a roll call confirmed a quorum, the chair explained that because of the large number of gubernatorial appointments, the committee would hear only a subset individually and consider reappointments in a block unless members requested otherwise.
The committee then heard testimony from appointees and reappointees to several university boards. Florida A&M University nominees Roderick Harris, Victor Young, and Rafael Vasquez emphasized service to their alma mater, support for leadership, student success, entrepreneurship, scholarships, and maintaining FAMU’s status as a leading HBCU. Florida Atlantic University appointees Linda Stock and Thomas Mersh highlighted FAU’s growth, R1 research designation, quantum computing, servant leadership, entrepreneurship, and expanded research opportunities. University of Central Florida reappointee Alex Martins focused on UCF’s preeminence, workforce needs, nursing and engineering, and keeping graduates in Florida.
Florida Gulf Coast University nominees James Gris-Mall, Douglas Van Orte, Robert Rommel, Sarah Partial Perry, and reappointee Joseph Fogg discussed workforce development, affordability, student success, water and environmental programs, business and entrepreneurship, nursing outcomes, and FGCU’s regional role. University of South Florida reappointee Rogan Donnelly cited USF’s AAU status, research growth, and focus on student success, health care, cybersecurity, and AI. Committee members generally praised each nominee’s background and the universities’ achievements. At the end of the hearing, the committee approved all nominees in a single block vote for confirmation and then adjourned.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Committee on Jobs and Economic Development - Part 2 - 04/02/25
Jobs and Economic Development
Transcript Highlights:
- , and help solve workforce shortages across the state.
- , and help solve workforce shortages across the state.
- received a million from the Workforce received a million from the Workforce Development<01:09:09.520
- <01:10:02.040>
Development opportunities this Workforce Development opportunities this Workforce - <01:45:31.840>
fund 250,000 one time from the workforce fund 250,000 one time from the workforce
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
House Higher Education Finance and Policy Committee 2/25/25
Higher Education Finance and Policy
Transcript Highlights:
- it's about strengthening our Workforce it's about strengthening our Workforce from<00:07:31.680>
- Sciences budget request for Workforce Sciences budget request for Workforce and<00:08:44.240>
- <00:18:03.559>
education geriatrics wor Workforce education geriatrics wor Workforce education - seek to tackle the healthcare Workforce seek to tackle the healthcare Workforce crisis<00:19:50.400
- health Care crisis critical Workforce health Care crisis critical Workforce shortages<01:10:08.679
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on State Administration May 21st, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- Without proper oversight and input from the Legislature, we could have severe impacts on our state workforce
- Jay Sturgis, Labor and Workforce Development Agency. Grace Henry, Department of Finance.
- Item number two, Labor and Workforce Development Fund.
- So we've actually To young workers, like people entering the workforce for the first time.
- If this continues, we are losing such a vital workforce: the scientists.
Summary:
The subcommittee heard an informational update on the state’s generative AI implementation and related oversight. Administration officials said several proof-of-concept projects have moved into minimum viable product phases, including work at CDTFA and Caltrans, and that CDPH has a May Revision request for up to $8 million to scale up its healthcare facilities inspections project. The Legislative Analyst’s Office urged the administration to publish a report on lessons learned from each POC and recommended limiting the new generative AI approval process to a pilot through the first two rounds of projects, with continued monthly meetings and stronger legislative oversight. Members pressed for more transparency and questioned why the CDPH request was not included in January; the administration said the cost estimate was not available then and that only one project is seeking additional resources beyond existing departmental budgets.
The committee then reviewed a proposed $400 million loan from the Labor and Workforce Development Fund to the General Fund. Finance and the Labor Agency said the fund has grown because civil penalty revenues have risen sharply, and the loan would be repaid in 2029-30 with provisional language allowing earlier repayment if needed. The LAO agreed the fund could support the loan but warned that recent PAGA reforms may reduce future revenues. Public commenters, including labor and community groups, argued the money should instead support labor-law enforcement and outreach programs such as CWOP, and urged rejection of the loan.
Members also heard a Department of Industrial Relations request for $19.1 million for phase two of Public Works Information Technology System Enhancements, which officials said will support labor-law enforcement and apprenticeship registration. The department said the project was delayed because a prior procurement did not result in a contract award and that completion is now expected in October 2026. The committee then took up an EDD Next reappropriation technical adjustment to extend UI fund spending authority through June 30, 2026; the LAO said the request was fine but again raised concerns about oversight of the larger modernization effort, which EDD said now totals more than $660 million and is expected to continue through 2029.
Finally, the committee discussed DGS’s request for new parking facilities near the May Lee Building and a trailer bill shifting statewide telework policy language from DGS to CalHR while also expanding NDI eligibility for certain CEA employees. The LAO said the telework trailer bill should likely go through the policy committee process instead of budget, and union and employee witnesses strongly opposed it, arguing it would undermine bargaining rights and could be used to narrow telework. In a separate item on the governor’s return-to-office order, administration officials said departments are being directed to move to a four-day in-office expectation starting July 1, 2025, but they had no statewide cost estimate yet because departments are still assessing vacancies, exemptions, and space needs. Members criticized the lack of analysis and said the state should have clearer numbers before moving forward.
FL
Florida 2026 Regular Session
Children, Families, and Elder Affairs Feb 4th, 2025
Children, Families, and Elder Affairs
Transcript Highlights:
- We're also looking to strengthen our workforce and give them the tools they need to bring efficiencies
- will use to apply for assistance, and then we have what we call the worker portal, in which our workforce
- It is an administrative module on the back end on the workforce side.
- It is an administrative module that is on the back end on the workforce side. is an administrative model
- that is on the back end on the workforce side.
Summary:
The Committee on Children, Families, and Elder Affairs received a Department of Children and Families update from CIO Cole Sousa on three major technology modernization efforts: ACCESS, CWIS, and FASMS. For ACCESS, he described the six-year, $205 million project to replace the aging eligibility system used for SNAP, TANF, and Medicaid applications, noting completed releases such as the MyACCESS portal, document management, partner portal, workload management, and client registration modules. He said the system now supports mobile applications, multi-factor authentication, and bot detection, and that the next budget request is $36.625 million to continue moving workers off the mainframe, modernize notices, and complete more worker-portal functions. Members asked about performance data, interoperability with other systems, and the relationship to the FX project and APD; Sousa said API-based real-time exchanges are the goal and that current average case processing time is about 30 days, though he would provide a more exact figure later.
The committee then heard about CWIS, a four-year, $75 million child welfare modernization project. Sousa said phase one is complete, including hotline intake, investigations, mandatory reporter, youth, parent, and mobile portals, along with mobile field tools, e-signatures, and customizable dashboards. Current work is focused on case management, assessment and safety planning, licensure, and placement modules, with collaboration from community-based care providers through advisory sessions. For the next fiscal year, DCF is requesting $28 million and expects to finish development by summer and launch in September, while continuing change management and training. Senators pressed on interoperability with ACCESS, FX, and FASMS, the use of a single unique identifier, and whether CBCs would be required to use the statewide system; Sousa said the department’s goal is one statewide system, with licensing costs absorbed by the state and no plan for dual systems after go-live.
Finally, Sousa gave a brief update on FASMS, the financial and services accountability system used by managing entities. He said it remains in maintenance mode while DCF prioritizes ACCESS and CWIS, and that modernization of FASMS is still being planned with partner agencies. He estimated current maintenance costs at about $1.3 million and suggested a future modernization could cost roughly $5 million to $7 million, though no firm timeline has been set. The committee expressed support for using data and interoperable systems to improve decision-making, and the meeting adjourned without any votes or formal actions beyond adjournment.
AL
Alabama 2026 1st Special Session
Alabama House State Government Committee Mar 11th, 2026
State Government
Transcript Highlights:
- This is a bill for the workforce. You know, workforce is basically kind of new to us.
- And it goes and removes labor and adds workforce in several places. >> And if I'm correct, this is a
- bill brought forth by the Department of Workforce. >> It is correct. >> Okay.
- workforce in several places. workforce in several places.
- Workforce. Workforce. >> It<00:15:47.120>
is <00:15:47.279>correct.
Keywords:
tax exemption, Kidz Eatz, sales tax, non-profit, local government, loitering, mask mandate, public safety, school policy, college regulations, law enforcement, Alabama Innovation Corporation, board of directors, staggered terms, economic development, entrepreneurship, voting rights, restoration, pardons, Parole Board
CA
Transcript Highlights:
- Pell program, in evaluating workforce development programs across many institutions, not just community
- And it happens to be the same data element that we need to do better workforce development planning,
- California Edge Coalition advocates for education and workforce investments as well as systems change
- We're really proud to co-sponsor SB 1054 because California needs stronger workforce data to understand
- outcomes, measurement, and stronger alignment across educational workforce systems.
MN
Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session
Workforce panel hears bill to expand funding for first responder equine therapy program 2/19/25
Minnesota House Floor Meeting
Transcript Highlights:
- of questioning of if that's the right profession for you, and we know that we are struggling with workforce
- This is one way that we can continue to help that workforce shortage in this community.
- And I think, uh, again, with the astounding retention rate, um, the Workforce Development fund is why
- actually seek to re-enter the workforce actually seek to re-enter the workforce as<00:26:05.399>
- I just thought this is an opportunity to address the workforce shortage on that. and Senator Pratt and
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Joint Hearing Health Committee and Privacy Committee and Consumer Protection Committee May 28th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- In addition, this technology could potentially have a significant impact on the health care workforce
- Clinical workforce, and we have a fixed supply of these highly trained clinicians.
- Lastly, as you're all aware, AI will impact the workforce. Some jobs may change or be displaced.
- And so this is where it comes to the point of workforce training is really important here.
- need to get people into the workforce, particularly in rural areas and underserved areas.
Summary:
The joint informational hearing of the Assembly Health and Privacy Committees focused on generative AI in health care, with opening remarks emphasizing both its potential to improve care and its risks around privacy, bias, liability, workforce impacts, and unequal access. Chair Bauer-Kahan and Chair Bonta framed the discussion around how California can encourage beneficial innovation while protecting patients, especially given the sensitivity of health data and the possibility that AI could worsen existing disparities if not carefully governed.
The first panel featured representatives from Cedars-Sinai, Kaiser Permanente, Penguin AI, and Google, who described current uses of AI such as ambient clinical scribes, nursing documentation tools, imaging triage, maternal-fetal risk prediction, and administrative automation. Speakers said these tools can reduce clinician burden, improve patient experience, speed treatment, and in some cases improve outcomes, including a reported mortality benefit from a Kaiser predictive model and faster thrombectomy times at Cedars-Sinai. Members raised concerns about accuracy with accents and multilingual visits, whether predictive tools could reinforce bias or lead to more interventions such as C-sections, and how to ensure a human remains in the loop for important decisions.
The second panel, including representatives from the California Health Care Foundation, UC Berkeley, and Stanford, focused on policy and governance challenges. Testimony highlighted examples of AI supporting homelessness outreach and community health work, but also warned that biased algorithms can encode inequities, especially when trained on data that reflect under-treatment of Black, rural, or low-income patients. Witnesses urged clearer standards for trustworthy AI, stronger monitoring and governance structures, better data access for accountability, and attention to the safety net’s limited resources. Several speakers argued that states should require health systems to have AI governance processes, clarify liability between developers and deployers, and regulate downstream uses of AI while preserving access to data for lifesaving research and oversight.
CA
California 2025-2026 Regular Session
Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 5 on State Administration Mar 18th, 2025
Transcript Highlights:
- The only deliverable that is remaining is a workforce-related effort. that is under final review and
- Labor Workforce Development and EDD related to data accuracy and forecasting.
- policy. workforce strategy.
- In particular, the Workforce Development Board oversees statewide workforce policy.
- , which include our teachers, our nurses, our green workforce, and our community leaders.
KY
Kentucky 2025 Regular Session
Air Mobility & Aviation Economic Development Task Force (7-14-25)
Transcript Highlights:
- emergency response, and workforce emergency response, and workforce development. development. development
- I put workforce first here.
- And I know I'm preaching to workforce.
- You talked about the workforce gap.
- this is a really critical uh workforce this is a really critical uh workforce development<00:47:
Summary:
The task force was called to order with a quorum present, and Commissioner Mark Carter of the Kentucky Department of Aviation gave the first presentation. He outlined the state’s airport system, noting 58 public-use airports, the department’s small staff, and its funding structure through a jet fuel tax that generates about $23 million annually, leaving roughly $15 million for airport investment after required deductions. Carter highlighted recent projects at airports including Bardstown, Madisonville, Central Kentucky Regional, Paducah, Sparta, Danville, and Henderson, and said the department has also expanded data collection on airport activity, hangars, schools, and training programs. He emphasized that the department recently completed the first statewide economic impact study of general aviation airports and is developing a five-year airport needs plan.
Carter said several things are working well, including stronger communication with airports, the public, the legislature, and especially the FAA’s Memphis district office, which now involves the state more in project selection. He said the department is reasonably staffed overall, but identified workforce development and advanced air mobility as major gaps. In response to questions from Senator Nunn and Representative York, he said he did not have specific workforce shortage numbers on hand, but cited Boeing reports showing large national and global shortages of pilots and mechanics, and explained that instructor shortages and low wages limit training capacity. He also said air traffic control is an FAA function, though EKU has shown interest in developing a training program.
Carter identified several needs for improvement: more workforce investment, more aviation education in high schools, more scholarships for pilot and mechanic training, more attention to advanced air mobility, and more frequent, institutionalized data collection. He also pointed to major pending capital needs at airports such as Elizabethtown, Owensboro, Harlan, Leitchfield-Grayson County, and Whitesburg-Letcher County, all of which would require FAA and state support. He urged airports to do a better job marketing their economic value and said the state should continue updating aviation studies so lawmakers have current information for policy decisions.
The task force then heard from Lexington Blue Grass Airport Director Eric Frankl, who welcomed the new CVG director and thanked the legislature for creating the task force and supporting aviation infrastructure. Frankl said Blue Grass Airport has rebounded from the pandemic and now exceeds pre-pandemic passenger levels, while serving a mix of private aviation, pilot training, corporate aviation, and commercial airline activity. He described ongoing terminal-area planning, parking technology upgrades, and a major parking lot expansion expected to finish by early spring 2026, and said the airport is planning for future technologies such as vertiports and electric aerial vehicles. Frankl estimated that a broader terminal modernization program will cost roughly $500 million to $700 million over the next 5 to 10 years and said the airport needs continued state support to close funding gaps and remain competitive with other states investing in aviation.