Preface

Part of the Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center’s mission, as outlined in its founding legislation, is to serve as a catalyst for change in the way government decisions are made by providing insight into the broader context. To do so, the Center was charged with responsibility for considering the long-term implications of policy, critical trends, and emerging issues that may have a significant impact on the state. This is the fourth in a series of volumes focusing on the status of 26 long-term goals derived from a citizen vision of the Commonwealth’s future. The report includes benchmarks or indicators that are measures of the progress made toward each goal and the results of a statewide opinion poll that gauged citizen assessments of progress and the importance of each goal. This report should be of interest to all who believe in the importance of improving Kentucky’s future.

Kentucky
Long-Term Policy Research Center

The Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center was created by the General Assembly in 1992 to bring a broader context to the decisionmaking process. The Center’s mission is to illuminate the long-range implications of current policies, emerging issues, and trends influencing the Commonwealth’s future. The Center has a responsibility to identify and study issues of long-term significance to the Commonwealth and to serve as a mechanism for coordinating resources and groups to focus on long-term planning.

The Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center is governed by a 21-member board of directors that includes four appointees from the executive branch, six from the legislative branch, and 11 at-large members who represent universities, local governments, communities, and the private sector. From the at-large component of the board, six members are appointed by the Governor and five by the Legislative Research Commission. In accordance with its authorizing legislation, the Center is attached to the legislative branch of Kentucky state government. The composition of its board, however, affords it functional independence and permits it to serve both the executive and legislative branches of government equally, as well as the public.

Michael T. Childress is the executive director of the Center. Those interested in further information about the Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center should contact his office:

The Kentucky Long-Term Policy Research Center
111 St. James Court
Frankfort, Kentucky 40601-8486