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Sen. Schickel to lead Jail/Corrections Reform Task force, is member of Certificate of Need Task force


Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, has named Senator John Schickel, R-Union, as Senate co-chair of the Jail and Corrections Reform Task Force and member of the Certificate of Need (CON) Task Force. These special committees will operate over the 2023 Interim Period, which is set to begin on Tuesday, June 6.

The Jail and Corrections Reform Task Force was formed as a result of House Concurrent Resolution 82, sponsored by Rep. Josh Bray, R-Mount Vernon. Members will study existing jail and correctional facilities; possible realignment and closure of jail and correctional facilities; adequacy of existing jail and correctional facilities; management of Kentucky’s incarcerated population; personnel and other costs associated with jail and correctional facilities; pretrial and post-conviction incarceration data from the Administrative Office of the Courts, the Department of Corrections, and jails; pretrial defendants, including a breakdown by the jurisdiction of the financial conditions of release and charged offenses for those defendants; and the number of supervised individuals incarcerated on new changes versus those incarcerated due to revocation.

Sen. John Schickel

“John’s vast law enforcement and corrections experience makes him an obvious choice to lead this task force,” Stivers said. “I have the utmost confidence in his ability to guide this task force and ultimately bring forth sound policy reforms for the Kentucky General Assembly to consider.”

Schickel has a more than 45-year career in public service as a state senator serving on the Judiciary Committee, and as a corrections administrator, law enforcement officer, and teacher. He headed the U.S. Marshals Service in the Eastern District of Kentucky after President George W. Bush appointed him. He has served as an adjunct professor at Northern Kentucky University in its justice studies program and was also on the curriculum advisory committee. He is a graduate of Northern Kentucky University with a master’s degree in public administration. Schickel has received numerous professional awards, including an award from the Innocence Project for his work on post-conviction DNA evidence.

“I’m grateful to be appointed co-chair of this important task force,” Schickel said. “We have many issues facing our corrections systems at the state and local levels. I’m eager to work with my friends on the committee.”

Schickel will also serve as a CON (Certificate-of-Need) Task Force member. Representative Marianne Proctor, R-Union, will join Schickel as a task force member. The CON Task Force will review Kentucky’s certificate of need program, including the state health plan and related statutes, and study the need to maintain or modify the certificate of need for each covered health service.

Additional special committees established by the Legislative Research Commission to conduct business over the interim period include the Task Force on School and Campus Security, the Health and Human Services Delivery System Task Force, the Multimodal Freight Transportation System Improvement Task Force, the Lottery Trust Fund Task Force, and the Task Force on Local Government Annexation.

Each task force consists of 10 legislative members:

·         The House speaker appoints four members of the House majority.
·         The House minority floor leader appoints one member of the House minority.
·         The Senate president appoints four members of the Senate majority.
·         The Senate minority floor leader appoints one member of the Senate minority.

Each task force will submit its findings and recommendation to the Legislative Research Commission by December 4.

Task force meetings will be live-streamed via the LRC YouTube Channel and ket.org/legislature.


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