By Hannah Carver
NKyTribune reporter

The special legislative session called by Governor Matt Bevin to address the state’s pension issue was on the minds of many Kentuckians recently — including Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Brent Cooper’s.

“Right now, we’re concerned about the pension situation and the credit rating for the state. That has real-world implications and costs. That has to be figured out. It has to be addressed,” Cooper said last Tuesday, before the session was over. “Whatever happens in the special session will have implications for the General Assembly in January.”

Of course, Cooper is already thinking beyond the failed special session, advocating for what he hopes to see pass in the 2019 General Assembly, which begins January 8.

“If you look over the last two to three years, the policies that the legislators have done have made us more competitive and improved the economy,” Cooper said.

Examples listed by Cooper included Kenton County schools saving $550,000, just on one project, because Kentucky got rid of its prevailing wage requirement. Northern Kentucky is also currently seeing its lowest unemployment rate in 50 years, and the region has the highest worker participation rate in the state. 

Cooper hopes to see these trends continue with more policies that improve both statewide and regional economic development. 

“Our mission has been driving our advocacy,” Cooper said. “We promote business growth and an improved economy.”

Looking at gas tax

Going forward, the workforce is the overriding issue that, according to Cooper, will make or break that economic growth. Transportation, education, and healthcare are all factors that play into that growing workforce.

“On the transportation side, we’re looking at ways that we can get more revenue and invest that revenue wisely,” Cooper said.

Part of that increased revenue could come from House Bill 609 if passed. Among its objectives is a 10-cent per gallon tax increase on gasoline.

“A 10-cent increase would cost the average driver about $60 a year, but if we do nothing, according to one study that came out in the last 6 months, the current road situation for the state is costing us about $1,000 a year in increased maintenance on our vehicles,” Cooper said. “We’re paying it one way or another. We’d rather spend it proactively.”

So how does this tie into building up Northern Kentucky’s workforce? 

Better infrastructure will help people get from point A to point B in a more efficient manner, meaning employees get to work on time and then get home in time to be with their families.

On the education front, the Chamber will be advocating for more resources, according to Cooper.

“We’re for increased investments at all levels,” Cooper said. 

Launching GROW NKY (NKyTribune photo)

Growing Regional Outcomes through Workforce (GROW NKY) is an excellent example of the Chamber’s commitment to education and workforce development. Through short-term and long-term goals, GROW NKY will focus on five key pillars: Kindergarten readiness, college & career readiness, adult career readiness & lifelong learning, talent retention & attraction, and employer policies & practices.

The Chamber is also pushing for restoring the Support Education Excellence in Kentucky (SEEK) funds, as well as other Flexible Focus Funds, to levels that provide more equitable funding among school districts.

Cooper also brought up the importance of accessible childcare resources.

“That’s a short-term workforce issue because if you don’t have someone to watch your kids, you can’t work, and it’s a long-term issue because if a kid doesn’t get quality childcare, they’re not going to come in ready for kindergarten.”

The Chamber is pushing for the General Assembly to increase reimbursement rates for childcare providers and make low-income, working families eligible for the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP).

On the healthcare side, the Chamber will be advocating for policies that both reduce the cost of insurance for citizens and businesses, and that improve the health of the collective workforce. These ideas will also receive extra focus in January, which the Chamber has designated as “Health & Wellness Month.”

Smokers shouldn’t be a protected class 

As part of improving collective health, the Chamber is in favor of repealing smokers as a protected class of citizens in Kentucky. Smoking-related health care costs in the Commonwealth total $1.92 billion each year, and a smoker can cost an employer $6,000 more a year than a non-smoker. 

Nevertheless, Kentucky law currently forbids employers turning away applicants because they smoke. Ohio employers do not have this restriction, which according to the Chamber, leads to a disadvantage for Kentucky.

The Chamber is also in favor of legislation that would address medical malpractice reforms because they feel it would effectively reduce health care costs to consumers, as well as enhance the region’s ability to attract and retain licensed medical professionals.

Addressing the addiction crisis is also on the Chamber’s agenda. 

“The state doesn’t have the money to do what needs to be done without tax reform, though,” Cooper said. “We’d like to see continued tax reforms that continue to improve the competitiveness of the state, very similar to what they did last time with broadening the base — increasing sales tax and decreasing corporate income tax. We think that’s a winning strategy for the state that makes us more competitive.” 

“We cannot grow the way we need to without talent attraction and retention. We just can’t. We can’t fill the jobs we want or need with just the students we’re producing. We’ve got to attract from outside the region, and globally. The impact that the national stage has on that will land on us eventually,” Cooper said.

In the coming months — and in addition to looking more at solutions to better health in the region — the NKyTribune and Chamber will also take a closer look at diversity and international trade, which is February’s focus, as well as March’s focus of talent attraction and retention.