The Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) was established in 1976 as a result of the Judicial Article. The Judicial Article created Kentucky’s unified court system and made the chief justice head of the state court system, also known as the Kentucky Court of Justice. The AOC is the operational arm of the Judicial Branch. The AOC supports court facilities and programs in all 120 counties, with its main campus in Frankfort.
The Bar Association originated as a voluntary association in 1871. In 1934, the Kentucky General Assembly passed an act creating an all-inclusive bar association. The Association maintains a proper discipline of the members of the bar, initiates and supervises, with the approval of the Court, appropriate means to insure a continuing high standard of professional competence on the part of the members of the Bar, and bears a substantial and continuing responsibility for promoting the efficiency and improvement of the judicial system.
The Kentucky State Board of Hairdressers & Cosmetologists was created in 1974. Under the provisions of KRS Chapters 317 A and B, the Board administers and enforces regulations relating to cosmetology, cosmetologists, schools of cosmetology, students enrolled in cosmetology, apprentice cosmetologists, nail technicians, teachers of cosmetology, cosmetology salons, and nail salons.
The Cabinet for Economic Development was originally formed as the Department of Economic Development in 1956 as the successor to the Agricultural and Industrial Development Board created in 1948. In 1962, the Department was renamed the Department of Commerce. The Department was placed under the newly created Development Cabinet in 1972. In 1982, the Development Cabinet became the Commerce Cabinet, which was renamed in 1988 as the Cabinet for Economic Development. The Cabinet formerly included the Department of the Arts, the Tobacco Research Board, and the Kentucky Geological Survey. The Tobacco Research Board and the Kentucky Geological Survey were transferred to the University of Kentucky. The Department of the Arts was abolished in 1990. In 1992, the Kentucky Economic Development Partnership was created as a board to govern the Cabinet, and the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority replaced the Kentucky Development Finance Authority and the Kentucky Rural Economic Development Authority. The Cabinet for Economic Development is the primary state agency in Kentucky responsible for creating new jobs and investment in the state. Currently, the Cabinet consists of the Office of the Secretary, the Department for Business Development, the Office of Financial Services and the Office of Legal Services. The Department for Business Development consists of the Office of Research and Public Affairs, and the Office of Entrepreneurship.
The Cabinet was established in 1878 as the State Board of Health and Superintendent of Vital Statistics by Acts of 1878, Chapter 499. The Cabinet for Health and Family Services has reorganized many times since its creation and is governed by Kentucky Revised Statutes Chapter 194A. The Cabinet for Health and Family Services is the primary state agency for operating the public health, Medicaid, certificate of need and licensure, and mental health/mental retardation programs in the Commonwealth.
The Council on Postsecondary Education was created in May 1997, during the 1997 First Extraordinary Session, called by the Governor to reform higher education (KRS 164.011). It replaced the Council on Higher Education, which was abolished during this same session. Among its responsibilities are to develop and implement a strategic agenda for the postsecondary and adult education system that includes measures of educational attainment, effectiveness and efficiency; produce and submit a biennial budget request for adequate public funding of postsecondary education; monitor and approve tuition rates and admission criteria at public postsecondary institutions; define and approve all academic programs at public institutions; ensure the coordination and connectivity of technology among public institutions; and collect and distribute comprehensive data about postsecondary education performance. The Council consists of the Commissioner of Education, a faculty member, a student member, and thirteen citizen members appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate and the House of Representatives. Executive Order 2000-8 issued on January 4, 2000, and confirmed by 2000 Senate Bill 233 removed the Commission on Community Volunteerism and Service from the Council and moved it to the Cabinet for Families and Children.
The Court of Appeals was created as a result of the Judicial Article passed in 1975 and effective in 1976. It is the lower appellate court. With a few exceptions, most cases appealed from Circuit Court go to the Court of Appeals. The Court of Appeals also handles appeals of a Circuit Court decision on a District Court judgment. Fourteen judges, two elected from each of the seven appellate districts, serve for eight-year terms. Court of Appeals judges are divided into panels of three to review and decide cases, with the majority deciding the outcome.
The Department for the Blind was originally established as a business enterprise program for the blind by the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation in the Department of Education in 1948. In 1956, the State Rehabilitation Agency in the Department of Education took over this program. In 1958, a Division of the Blind was created in the State Rehabilitation Agency. These functions were placed in the Bureau for the Blind when it was created within the Education and Humanities Cabinet, in 1976. The Bureau was renamed the Department for the Blind in 1988 and in 1990 was transferred to the Cabinet for Workforce Development. By 2010, it was renamed the Office for the Blind within the Department for Workforce Investment. The Kentucky Office for the Blind is a state government rehabilitation agency that assists persons who are blind or visually impaired. The Office operates under KRS 163.450 through 163.480.
The Bureau of Veterans' Affairs was created in 1972. In 1974, the Bureau became the Advisory Board for Veterans' Affairs and the Department for Human Resources assumed some duties. In 1980, the Center for Veterans' Affairs was created in the Department for Military Affairs; it assumed the duties that had been assigned to the Department for Human Resources. In 1996, with enactment of HB 90, the Center was merged into the newly created Department of Veterans' Affairs (KDVA). The Department provides assistance and support to citizens of the Commonwealth who are veterans of the military services, their families, dependents, and/or survivors, in the presentation, proof, and establishment of all claims, privileges, rights and other benefits they may have under state, federal or local law (KRS 40.310). KDVA provides benefits counseling, skilled nursing care at state veterans centers, dignified interment at state veterans cemeteries, and special programs for women veterans, homeless veterans and others. It collects data and information regarding facilities and services available to veterans, their families and dependents.
The Education and Workforce Development Cabinet was established in 1973 as the Education and the Arts Cabinet. In 1982, the cabinet was reorganized into the Education and Humanities Cabinet. The cabinet was again renamed the Education, Arts, and Humanities Cabinet in 1994, the Education Cabinet during the Fletcher Administration and once again in 2008, to the Education and Workforce Development Cabinet. The Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet is made up of fifteen agencies. These agencies promote lifelong learning through school, work and other training opportunities.
The Energy and Environment Cabinet (EEC) was created in 2010 by KRS 12.250. The EEC addresses the energy needs of Kentucky’s citizens and develops regulations that make certain Kentucky’s natural beauty is not harmed. There are three departments within the Cabinet: Department of Environmental Protection, Department for Natural Resources and Department for Energy Development and Independence.
The Finance and Administration Cabinet (FAC) originated in 1918 as the Budget Appropriation Commission. In 1926, it was replaced by the Budget Commission. That same year, the Office of State Budget Officer and the State Purchasing Commission were created. In 1934, two new departments were created: the Department of Finance and Budgetary Control, which assumed the duties of the Budget Commission and the Department of Public Property, which assumed the duties of the State Purchasing Commission. In 1936, the Department of Finance was created and absorbed the duties of the Department of Public Property and the Department of Finance and Budgetary Control. In 1973, the Department of Finance and the Program Development Office were consolidated into the Executive Department of Finance and Administration. In 1982, the Department became the Finance and Administration Cabinet. The FAC’s core mission is to provide services that will better enable agencies to deliver services and perform their duties on behalf of the general public. The Cabinet operates under KRS Chapter 42.
The Governor's Scholars Program originated in 1983. In 1994, the Program was transferred from the Governor’s Office to the Office of the Secretary of the Education, Arts and Humanities Cabinet. The Program is a summer residential program for outstanding high school students in Kentucky who are rising seniors. Selected students attend the Program without charge. The program is headed by an Executive Director appointed by the Secretary with approval of the Governor. The Program operates under KRS 158.796.
The Governor’s School for the Arts was established in 1987 as a program of The Kentucky Center for the Arts and Kentucky Department of the Arts under Governor Martha Layne Collins and The Kentucky Center President Marlow Burt. The Governor’s School for the Arts provides hands-on arts opportunities for the state’s talented high school students who are dancers, actors, instrumental and vocal musicians, creative writers, future architects or visual artists. GSA’s primary components include a three-week summer residential program, regional arts workshops and master classes, college and career day and an artist roster of performing and visual artists made up of GSA alumni.
It is the state entity responsible for criminal justice services which encompass law enforcement and training; adult and juvenile incarceration; autopsies, death certifications and toxicology analyses; special investigations; paroling of eligible convicted felons; and long range planning and recommendations on statewide criminal justice reform issues. The cabinet provides overall leadership, policy direction and training for its departments and agencies. Justice Administration contains the secretary, deputy secretary and general counsel, principal assistant and public affairs. This office is responsible for the administration of the cabinet through provision of legal services; development of legislation, regulation and policy, and coordination of media and public activities within the cabinet and among cabinet departments.
In 1918 the Kentucky Council of Defense began a program of recording the contributions of Kentuckians who took part in World War I. The Council appointed Fred P. Caldwell as State War Historian and a local war historian in each county. The state war historian directed and supervised the local war historians in compiling the World War Historical Records. The volumes contain records of Kentuckians who served in the United States Armed Forces during the war. Other information provided includes members of the county council of defense and data about the county Red Cross, liberty loan campaigns, war savings stamps campaigns, food administrator, fuel administrator, four minute men, local draft board, conservation, and other war related activities.
Kentucky. Council of Defense
The Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA) is a public corporation and governmental agency established in 1966 to improve students' access to higher education. To that end, KHEAA administers several financial aid programs and disseminates information about higher education opportunities. The Board of Directors is composed of ten voting members appointed by the Governor. KHEAA operates under KRS 164.740 through 164.7891.
The Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC) was established in 1972. KRS Chapter 198A specifies KHC’s creation, purpose and powers. Among its powers, the KHC can provide low-cost housing to low and moderate-income families. It can make insured construction loans to sponsors of land development and residential housing, make insured mortgage loans to sponsors of residential housing, purchase insured mortgage loans made to sponsors and to families of low and moderate income, and lease and sublease residential housing to families of low and moderate income.
Kentucky. Kentucky Housing Corporation
In 1993, the Kentucky Legislative Ethics Commission (KLEC) was established. It is charged with the enforcement of the Code of Legislative Ethics and is composed of nine citizen members. The Code regulates conduct by legislators, lobbyists and the employers of lobbyists. Before 1993 a Board of Ethics made up of legislators oversaw legislative ethics while oversight of lobbyists was with the Office of the Attorney General. The legislative ethics law covers four broad subject matters: registration of legislative agents and employers; Statements by legislative agents and employers documenting lobbying expenditures and expenses, and financial transactions; conduct of members of the General Assembly; and financial disclosure statements of the General Assembly, legislative candidates, and key legislative staff. Kentucky Revised Statutes 6.601 to 6.849 authorize KLEC and provide the Code of Legislative Ethics. Kentucky Administrative Regulations 2 KAR 2:010 to 2:040 specify forms for registration and financial reporting required by the Code.
The Lincoln Institute was formed in response to the 1904 Day Law, which was upheld by the 1908 Supreme Court decision forbidding the education of whites and blacks in the same Kentucky school. The law was aimed at Berea College, which had been integrated since 1863. The Lincoln Foundation was founded in 1910 and the Lincoln Institute opened in 1912 in Shelby County, KY and closed in 1966. The school offered vocational instruction, unlike the classical education that had been offered at Berea. The first African American president was Dr. Whitney M. Young, Sr. and he led Lincoln Institute for over 40 years as it became a prominent boarding school for African American children. Following the 1954 United States Supreme Court ruling that outlawed separate but equal schools, Lincoln experienced a steady decline in enrollment. After more than fifty years of education, Lincoln Institute held its final graduation in 1966. The same year, Lincoln School, an integrated school for gifted students, opened. Community pressure and the state’s ambivalence toward education for gifted students led to the closing of the Lincoln School in 1970 with the graduation of one class. Today, the Lincoln Foundation, which was established along with the school, carries on the work of the Lincoln Institute by providing educational programs for disadvantaged youths in the Louisville area and preserving the Lincoln Institute's historic legacy
The Lincoln Institute was formed in response to the 1904 Day Law, which was upheld by the 1908 Supreme Court decision forbidding the education of whites and blacks in the same Kentucky school. The law was aimed at Berea College, which had been integrated since 1863. The Lincoln Foundation was founded in 1910 and the Lincoln Institute opened in 1912 in Shelby County, KY and closed in 1966. The school offered vocational instruction, unlike the classical education that had been offered at Berea. The first African American president was Dr. Whitney M. Young, Sr. and he led Lincoln Institute for over 40 years as it became a prominent boarding school for African American children. Following the 1954 United States Supreme Court ruling that outlawed separate but equal schools, Lincoln experienced a steady decline in enrollment. After more than fifty years of education, Lincoln Institute held its final graduation in 1966. The same year, Lincoln School, an integrated school for gifted students, opened. Community pressure and the state’s ambivalence toward education for gifted students led to the closing of the Lincoln School in 1970 with the graduation of one class. Today, the Lincoln Foundation, which was established along with the school, carries on the work of the Lincoln Institute by providing educational programs for disadvantaged youths in the Louisville area and preserving the Lincoln Institute's historic legacy.
When employers in the Commonwealth are cited for alleged violations of Kentucky's Occupational Safety and Health Act and Standards, the Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission provides an opportunity for the contesting party to come to a hearing and defend against the citations and penalties. According to KRS 338.071, the KOSH Review Commission is an independent agency. The commission is composed of three members who are appointed by executive order of the governor. Each member is appointed based upon a specific area of expertise: one member represents the interests of employers, one represents the interests of employees and one represents the occupational safety and health profession. The members must have a minimum of five years' experience in their respective areas of expertise. This diversity assures that the interests of all litigants appearing before the commission are represented and that due process of law is provided with an even hand. The Commission operates under KRS 338 and 803 KAR 50.
The Office of Vocational Rehabilitation is headed by an Executive Director and is the sole state agency charged with the purpose of developing and approving state plans required by state or federal laws and regulations as prerequisites to receiving federal funds for vocational rehabilitation. KRS 151B.185 organizes the Office into the following Divisions: Program Services and the Carl D. Perkins Vocational Training Center. The Office of Vocational Rehabilitation assists eligible individuals with disabilities achieve their employment goals.
During the First Extraordinary Session of the 1956 Kentucky General Assembly, the Division of Personnel of the Department of Finance was abolished and the Department of Personnel was created. It was headed by a Commissioner appointed by the Governor. Chief among its responsibilities then, as now, was the certification of applicants for state jobs. Approximately four years later, a uniform Merit System for the Executive Department was created. On December 13, 1995, Executive Order 95-19 elevated the Department of Personnel to cabinet status and all powers and responsibilities of the Department of Personnel were transferred to the Personnel Cabinet. Upon expiration of the order, Executive Order 96-909 was issued on July 11, 1996, to create the Personnel Cabinet and this was confirmed by 1998 SB 139. Currently, the Personnel Cabinet is organized as follows: Office of the Secretary; Office of Administrative Services; Office of Legal Services; Office of Employee Relations; Office of Diversity and Equality; Office of Governmental Services; Center of Strategic Innovation; Ky Public Employees Deferred Compensation; Department of Human Resources Administration; and the Department of Employee Insurance.
The Public Protection Cabinet oversees nine diverse regulatory and licensing agencies, including the Department of Insurance, the Kentucky Claims Commission, the Department of Professional Licensing, the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, the Kentucky Boxing and Wrestling Commission, the Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction, the Department of Financial Institutions, the Department of Charitable Gaming, and the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control.
The State Historical Records Advisory Board (SHRAB) is the central advisory body in the state for historical records planning and for those projects in Kentucky funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). The SHRAB serves as a coordinating body to facilitate cooperation and communication among historical records repositories and information agencies within the state and as a state-level review body for proposals as defined in the Commission’s grant program guidelines. It is composed of members who have experience or interest in the collection, administration, and use of historical records and are dedicated to the preservation and use of Kentucky’s documentary heritage. The SHRAB is part of the State Archives and Records Commission, with members appointed by the State Librarian and staff support provided by the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives. As specified in 36 CFR Part 1206, a majority of the members must have recognized experience in the administration of government records, historical records, or archives. The State Historical Records Advisory Board is coordinated by the Archives and Records Management Division, Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives.
Established by law in 1938, KTRS legally known as "Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Kentucky" became operational on July 1, 1940, and operates under KRS 161.220 – 161.716. KTRS is classified as an "actuarial reserve, joint-contributory" system, meaning that contributions of the members and employers and the earnings from KTRS investments are placed in reserve to pay for the System's annuity obligation. KTRS administration is the responsibility of the Board of Trustees consisting of nine members. The Board of Trustees appoints an Executive Secretary who is responsible for administering KTRS under the policies established by the Board. Agencies eligible for participation in KTRS include public elementary and secondary schools, regional educational cooperatives, Eastern Kentucky University, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Western Kentucky University, the School for the Deaf, the School for the Blind, the Workforce Development Cabinet, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, the Department of Education, the Education Professional Standards Board, and other agencies as specified by law.
Agency description/history
Kentucky. Thoroughbred Development Fund Advisory Committee
The Transportation Cabinet is responsible for maintaining and improving the delivery of transportation services in the state. KRS 174.010 creates the Cabinet and KRS 174.020 – 174.100 outlines the various organizational components and administrative duties of the Cabinet. The organizational structure of the Cabinet is as follows: the Office of the Secretary, the Office of Public Affairs, the Office of Inspector General, the Office of Budget and Fiscal Management, the Office of Legal Services, the Office for Civil Rights and Small Business Development, the Office of Information Technology, the Office of Support Services, the Office of Audits, the Office of Human Resource Management, the Office of Transportation Delivery, the Department of Aviation, the Department of Highways, the Department of Rural and Municipal Aid and the Department of Vehicle Regulation. Other bodies attached to the Cabinet for administrative purposes are the Kentucky Airport Zoning Commission, the Kentucky Motorcycle Advisory Commission for Highway Safety, the Kentucky Motorcycle Safety Education Advisory Commission, the Kentucky Bicycle and Bikeway Commission and the Kentucky Motor Vehicle Commission.
