- 5/1/2025
On Thursday, Gov. Andy Beshear (D-KY) held an administration update briefing.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good afternoon, everyone. I'm Andy, and welcome to this week's Teen Kentucky Update.
00:05Normally, we start with Kentucky's red-hot economy, but today we have two pieces of big
00:12news that we wanted to make sure we shared. The first is amazing news. It ought to give us
00:18all hope. We were going to announce this on Tuesday in the Rotunda, and we'll still have
00:24an event there to celebrate, but today I'm excited to announce that in 2024, Kentucky saw
00:32a decrease of 30.2% in drug overdose deaths compared to 2023. This is what we have been
00:41hoping for and praying for. We saw reductions two years in a row, and two years ago was even
00:49almost 10%, but what we're seeing here ought to give everyone who's worked so hard to get
00:57to this point in law enforcement, recovery, or treatment, a hope that we can do even more,
01:04and we owe them a big thank you for all of that work. In 2023, we reported a 9.8% decrease
01:13compared to the prior year. In 2022, it was a decrease of 2.5%. That year, we were one of
01:19only five states that saw a decrease. Today now marks the third year in a row. The drug overdose
01:28deaths in the Commonwealth have declined, and this one is really substantial and means that
01:35more Kentuckians are here with us today and that all these efforts together, even in a world
01:41where the drugs keep getting more powerful, are working, and that we've got to keep it
01:45up. However, today's celebration does not come without pain. According to the 2024 overdose
01:56fatality report, 1,410 Kentuckians lost their lives last year to a drug overdose. That's 1,410
02:06too many people that we lost. These are people's friends and family members, each one a child
02:13of God taken from us far too soon. In 2024, we not only saw that 30-plus percent decrease
02:23in overall overdoses, but thankfully, we also saw a decrease amongst Black residents in Kentucky.
02:31If you remember last year when we were very excited about that nearly 10% decrease,
02:36the African American community had not seen a similar decrease. Well, last year with this
02:44report that's just come out, that community saw a 37.3% decrease, meaning that this good
02:53news has come for all of our Kentucky communities with no one left out. When you look at the report,
03:00fentanyl is still very concerning. It was present in 62.3% of overdose deaths. Methamphetamine was
03:08present in 55.4%. Those two continue to be the most prevalent and ultimately most deadly drugs found
03:17in overdoses. This year's overdose report also indicates that all Kentucky age groups saw a decrease
03:24in overdose deaths in overdose deaths with the only increase among those ages 75 to 84. I am thankful that
03:32more Kentuckians are alive and in recovery today and that fewer families are grieving this year than in any year
03:40since at least 2018. We won't stop working to help everyone out there that needs help, but if you are struggling
03:47with addiction, hear this news and know that the treatment and recovery options out there are
03:54effective. If you're worried about someone going through addiction, recognize that Narcan and its
04:00equivalents work and they can bring your loved one back and make sure we give them that next chance
04:07to get into treatment and hopefully recovery. In Kentucky, all of us have dealt with the heartache of
04:14losing not just one person, but multiple people that we love. This area of the country got hit the
04:22hardest and we lost the most certainly per capita. So today's news should be very meaningful to all
04:30Kentuckians and it ought to tell us that an epidemic that arose in our time, we should be able to defeat
04:35in our time. This is not something we should leave for our kids and our grandkids. This is something we
04:42should continue to strive to do better and better and better at addressing. The accomplishment has been
04:49a team effort. We've had partners across the state stepping up to help. Together, we've distributed
04:55170,000 doses of Narcan. 84 syringe exchange program sites serve more than 27,790 unique
05:05participants. And regardless of what the politics say, syringe exchange programs work. They help us
05:13get to know people and they help us to save lives. Over 142,310 Kentuckians received addiction services
05:21through Medicaid. More than 17,390 Kentuckians received treatment paid for by the Kentucky opioid response
05:29effort. Nearly 18,000 Kentuckians received recovery services in their community paid for by Corps. 19
05:38Kentuckians sought treatment through the Kentucky State Police Angel Initiative. More than 3,320
05:44incoming calls made to KY help call center and over 14,000 outgoing follow-up calls helped us get to this
05:53point. 21 counties are now certified as recovery ready communities. They represent about 1.5 million
05:59Kentuckians since day one in office. And I mean, when I became attorney general, we've worked hard to see
06:08gains like this. And I want to thank everybody working in in all of these different communities that have
06:15worked so hard. And I hope that you now see that those inches that became feet that became miles of
06:23progress. Um, you were doing that hard work, even when we couldn't see, um, a big day like today. Again,
06:31if you or someone, you know, is fighting addiction, um, please call the KY help call center at eight, three,
06:39three, three, three, eight, K Y help. That's eight, three, three, eight, five, nine, four, three, five, seven. Uh,
06:47just a couple of notes. The CDC had a, a similar report recently, uh, come out. There are two differences
06:53in it. Um, it only goes up through November. Uh, this is, uh, through December. It also counts non Kentucky
07:01residents in some of their numbers. Ours focuses solely on Kentucky residences, uh, uh, Kentucky
07:09residents. So, um, a really good day. And I want to invite, uh, executive director, Van Ingram,
07:16who is the director of the office of drug control policy. He has held this office since 2004. So when
07:23you want to talk about, um, going through the hardest of times and clawing for those inches of
07:28progress, he's been here for the whole thing. Congratulations, ma'am. Come on up.
07:35Thank you, Governor. You're welcome.
07:36Governor, thanks for keeping this issue in the top of your agenda for the last five and a half years.
07:43Um, we talk about it every day. We work towards it every day. Uh, and we've been waiting for a day
07:48like this for a long time. Um, in 19 and 20 and 21, when the pandemic was, was firing up and the numbers
07:55just kept climbing and climbing and climbing. And we saw fentanyl on all of our streets, all over this,
08:00all over the state. It was really disheartening.
08:02But today shows the efforts we've been making will work over time. They will work. Um,
08:13a lot of people to thank. I mean, this just doesn't happen in a vacuum. People all over this state,
08:18from public health to recovery centers, from public for just for advocates that are always working in
08:24their community, uh, treatment providers, our prevention specialists, the list goes on and on.
08:30But I do want to thank a few people out loud. The Kentucky Injury Prevention Research Center,
08:33who we could not do this report without, the Office of the State Medical Examiner,
08:38our Office of Vital Statistics, all play a role in helping us put this report together
08:42and get this good news out there.
08:43You know, I remember in 2021, somebody asked me, man, when are you going to retire?
08:52And I said, I can't retire with these numbers. It's high. Now, with our third year in a row,
08:55governor, I'm wondering if the universe is trying to tell me something.
08:59But we're not going into any time soon. We're excited about these numbers. Uh, it's showing our
09:05work is paying off and we're going to continue to do that work because there's still a lot to go.
09:09We still lost 1400 Kentuckians. And so our work's not finished. Not by a long shot. It's just time
09:15to get back to work. Thank you, Governor. Thank you.
09:21Uh, Van's been a blessing to the state through, uh, multiple administrations. It shows battling this
09:27drug epidemic is not political at all. And when you have the right people, and by that, I mean so
09:33many great people across the state that have dedicated their lives to this. You can absolutely make a
09:39difference. A couple of people I want to thank, um, as well. We've got Commissioner Katie Marks from the
09:45Department of Behavioral Health Development Intellectual Disabilities. I should give her
09:49her due. She is Dr. Katie Marks. Uh, Megan Steele and Laura Daniel are with that Kentucky Injury
09:55Prevention and Research Center. Uh, they work hard to compile this data. Our law enforcement officers,
10:01paramedics, and firefighters who are working to remove illegal drugs off our streets and distribute
10:07Narcan, our state agencies that are on the front lines, our treatment providers, and peer support
10:13specialists who have gone through addiction. And, and, and you could see them not wanting to go back
10:19into their darkest days, but they're willing to do that, to walk back into their trauma, to show
10:25somebody else that they can, uh, get through this. And I also want to thank everybody in Kentucky that
10:30was willing to ask for help. That continues to be in recovery today. And you know what? Even those that
10:36aren't that are trying and whether it's your first, fifth or 10th attempt, uh, we want to stand behind
10:42you. We want to provide you the best help that we can. Uh, our work does not end today. We're going to
10:48keep pushing. And on Tuesday, we're going to have a lot of partners from, uh, each of, of those areas
10:54in the rotunda. We want to give them all their due. Then we will rededicate ourselves to, to working to
11:00make sure that these decreases continue. All right. Today, we also have some great news to share
11:07when it comes to Kentucky's booming economy. So each month, uh, we have releases that have
11:13two, uh, data sets on employment in Kentucky. One is the household survey. Uh, that report is considered
11:22the number of people working in Kentucky. The other one is the business establishment survey.
11:29That is considered the number of jobs filled. And so every time that press release comes out,
11:34we have those two numbers, you know, a survey of individual households where they try to come up
11:38with the number of Kentuckians that are employed, and then separately, a survey of businesses,
11:43which is the number of jobs those businesses have filled. Today, we can officially say that Kentucky's
11:50labor market has not only fully rebounded from the pandemic. Now we can say when we're talking
11:55about number of people employed, number of jobs filled, and our overall civilian labor force,
12:01we are at the highest point for each of those metrics since the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
12:08started keeping records, meaning we have the most people, uh, employed, the most jobs filled,
12:14and the largest workforce in Kentucky's history. First, from the household survey, which measures the
12:22number of people working and know that the Bureau of Statistics does go back and revise these numbers
12:29over times. We've seen that with some of the reports, especially on the national level. So if you pulled
12:34up a press release from January of 2020, the numbers might be slightly different. What this says is from
12:42February 2020, right before the pandemic, to March of 2025, the number of people employed in Kentucky
12:49has increased from 1,973,837 to 2,006,555. That is an increase of 32,718 Kentuckians.
13:05Let's look at the next graph on jobs filled. From the business establishment survey, and this measures
13:12total nonfarm employment or jobs. Again, these are jobs filled. From February 2020, just before the pandemic,
13:20to March of 2025, our total nonfarm employment, which is jobs filled, increased by 99,600 jobs, or 5.1%.
13:32Kentucky's nonfarm employment grew faster than the national average. The number of jobs in Kentucky
13:39that grew faster than jobs nationally were construction, manufacturing, trade, transportation,
13:46utilities, and utilities, and other services. So that is number of Kentuckians that are working,
13:53number of jobs that are filled. Let's now go to Kentucky's labor force. Again, looking from February 2020
13:59before the pandemic to today, we have seen an increase from 2,059,014 to 2,117,625. That's an increase of 58,611
14:13and 11 Kentuckians. The important thing to know about this number is that the labor force includes
14:20two types of people. One, people currently employed and who are working, and number two,
14:27that are not employed but are actively looking for a job. That's why our unemployment rate has ticked up
14:35a little bit. Every month we've had more people working, but we've had more people coming back
14:40into the labor force looking for a job. And the number of people coming back into the labor force
14:45has actually been more than the number of additional people that have found employment, which is a
14:51actually a really good thing to be able to show new businesses and others looking at Kentucky that we
14:57have an available workforce for them. It's important to note that revisions to these numbers do occur.
15:04Estimates from both survey programs are subject to monthly and annual revisions. Estimates for March
15:10of 2025 are preliminary. But folks, this is a really good statement about the health of Kentucky's
15:16workforce, that we are getting people to work, that we're filling more jobs than ever before. And
15:23the difference in jobs filled versus people working could be one of two things. Number one, people
15:27believe the jobs filled survey may be more accurate because of how the information is coming back. But the
15:33other is that some of these individuals can be filling two jobs in this current economy that we have. But all in
15:42all, just a great report on our labor force. It's going to make us even more attractive to be able to show these
15:49numbers to potential companies. And speaking of potential companies, since the beginning of my
15:56administration, we've now announced more than 1100 private sector new location and expansion projects
16:02for record 35 plus billion dollars in announced investments and creating more than 60,500 new jobs.
16:09On Tuesday, I joined local leaders in Mercer County and executives from EarthBreeze to cut the ribbon on a
16:15nearly six million dollar operation in Harrodsburg that's creating 226 new Kentucky jobs. Since 2019,
16:23EarthBreeze has been dedicated to changing the way we do laundry. Their eco sheets not only clean your
16:29clothes, they do so without a whole range of harmful chemicals. Because they're concentrated sheets,
16:34EarthBreeze also greatly reduces the amount of single use packaging waste found in a typical plastic
16:41jug. This is yet another great manufacturing project for the Commonwealth and an incredible job
16:47creation opportunity for Mercer County and the surrounding regions. Today, I'd also like to welcome
16:53a new business to its new Kentucky home that has set up shop in Fayette County. Kendeva drug delivery
17:01is a global leader in drug device combination projects, products with locations across the United States
17:09and the United Kingdom. Last year, Kendeva acquired Summit Biosciences. That is a Lexington-based company with
17:16a strong reputation for its nasal spray products. Summit's products included a nasal spray medication
17:23to prevent and mitigate COVID-19 during the height of the pandemic. This acquisition is a great story
17:29for a homegrown company being recognized for its quality Kentucky-made products. And just this morning,
17:37Kendeva drug delivery celebrated the grand opening of their Lexington location. With us today is Milton
17:44Boyer, the CEO of Kendeva drug delivery to talk a little bit more about coming to the Commonwealth. We're
17:49excited to have you. Welcome. Thank you. Thank you, Governor. As you said this morning during our
18:03ribbon-cutting ceremony, we're really excited to be here. We're really excited about what the Lexington
18:09facility brings to our portfolio. But we recognize this would not be possible had it not been for the
18:15investment in the Coldstream Research Campus. I have a personal belief that you don't go wrong with
18:21investment in science, technology, and infrastructure. And while we're really excited about the products we
18:28make, the criticality of those products, bringing critical medicines to people, we recognize it
18:33wouldn't be possible for us to take this baton and go forward without this investment. So as we go
18:38forward and we're excited about our future and our success, we see ourselves as stewards of this
18:44investment. And we appreciate the foresight that went there and we're really excited about being part of the
18:51community here. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. All right. We want to thank Milton and Kendeva for
18:58joining us today. Also want to thank Summit for building out such a great company that has attracted
19:04this investment. Again, it's more good news for the Commonwealth. And yesterday, we had some more
19:12good news for one of our state's largest employers as Ford announced the launch of the 2025 expedition at the
19:19Kentucky truck plant in Louisville. The all new SUV was unveiled just a little over six months ago and
19:27becomes the latest quality vehicle from Kentucky for America. This is how Ford is branding this vehicle.
19:35If that, I mean, that's just incredible from Kentucky for America. My senior advisor,
19:42Rocky Atkins had the opportunity to join the company, Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg. And together,
19:47they made this exciting announcement. CEO Farley came in from Ford. We've seen him a bunch. What he says
19:56about Kentucky and our environment is special. Other companies hear it and we appreciate his advocacy
20:03for the Commonwealth. We're incredibly proud to see this company continue to grow. Ford's presence in
20:09Kentucky cannot be overstated. It dates back more than 100 years. We made a Model T in Louisville along with
20:18other cities. And the impact of this relationship has been far reaching. Currently, the company directly employs over 13,000
20:26people across its two operations in Jefferson County, and it has other operations in other areas of the state. This project was part of the
20:35$700 million announcement that I made with Jim Farley in 2022. And it's created around 500 extra jobs at
20:44the truck plant. And work on the Blue Oval SK Battery Plant in Hardin County continues. I think we're over 800
20:52employees hired. So when people ask you about that project, we're already over 800. It is moving forward.
20:59We're grateful for the 800. We know we'll hit the 5000. It might take a little bit more time. But very excited
21:06about that project and know that EVs are a big part of the future, which means we're a big part of the
21:12automotive future. Kentucky and Ford have a partnership that has a lot of rich history and continues to this
21:20day. So thank you to Ford for continuing to invest in us and our people. And let me tell you, if you ever get a
21:26chance to go out and tour that truck plant, you will see the amount of technology that goes on in
21:33American manufacturing. There's nothing that we can't make. There's nothing we can't do. It is an
21:38incredible operation. I'm gonna now turn it over to the Lieutenant Governor who has two updates and I'll
21:43be back for the last three ish. Thank you, Governor. And good afternoon, Team Kentucky. Every week at this
21:53presser, the governor delivers great news about more companies investing in Kentucky and how that is
22:00creating tremendous opportunity for our people. But in order for our people to truly capitalize on
22:05those opportunities, we need to be as healthy as we can possibly be. So this month, we continue our
22:10journey to a healthier Kentucky by promoting clear and attainable goals for better health and wellness
22:16by eating two servings of vegetables or fruit every day, exercising at least 30 minutes three times a
22:23week, and engaging with others to stay socially connected. During the month of May, our healthy
22:29Kentucky home focuses on women's health. According to the Center for Disease Control, nearly 16% of U.S.
22:36women reported being in fair or poor health in 2023. Additionally, 42% of women aged 18 and older
22:46were considered obese, 9% reported smoking cigarettes, and another 6% had high blood pressure.
22:54Women face unique challenges with our physical, mental, and emotional health. Understanding these
22:59specific health needs is incredibly helpful to promoting long-term wellness. And one way to ensure
23:05that kind of wellness is by maintaining a healthy eating pattern. It means choosing a variety of healthy
23:11foods from all the food groups, such as fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy, and proteins. Healthy eating
23:18also means limiting foods with added sugar, salt, and saturated or trans fats. On average, adult women
23:26need between 1600 and 2400 calories a day. And that intake is based on your age, height, weight, and activity
23:34level. So to find out how many calories you need each day, be sure to visit our Healthy Kentucky Home
23:40website for helpful calorie calculation tools. Along with a healthy diet, exercise is another crucial
23:48step to take to stay healthy. Women of all ages and abilities benefit from regular physical activity.
23:56Increasing your physical activity at least 30 minutes, three times a week, can help lower blood
24:02pressure and cholesterol, help you lose weight and maintain a healthy weight as you get older, improve
24:08sleep, and lower your risk of diseases such as breast cancer, colon cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease,
24:15and stroke. Additionally, remember to have those regular checkups with your health care provider.
24:23During these visits, your health care provider can screen for medical issues, assess risk for future
24:28problems, and encourage a healthy lifestyle. I am with you today because what I thought was a regular checkup
24:35checkup ended up being an actual early detection screening for me. About 18 months ago, I had a
24:41preventative exam and received some kind of troubling news. However, with the swift action of my care team and a
24:49tremendous amount of grace, I survived that scare and I am healthy today. So regular checkups can change your future
24:56and can save your life. To learn more about women's health, women's health resources, or healthy habits you
25:03can incorporate into your daily routine, please visit our Healthy Kentucky Home campaign website at
25:09our healthykyhome.ky.gov. Please join us in our Healthy Kentucky Home journey today as we work together to
25:17ensure that every Kentuckian achieves better health and their full potential.
25:22And switching gears a little bit, I know this is an exciting week for most, but we have to also
25:29confront some realities of large events like the Kentucky Derby. So as we welcome thousands of
25:36visitors this week, we need to stay alert and look out for people who may need help. Unfortunately, human
25:43trafficking is often more prevalent at large events where there are big crowds and heavy traffic that
25:49can distract bystanders who could otherwise step in. Remember to watch out for warning signs and if you
25:56see something, say something. Trafficking victims may look malnourished or nervous. They may avoid eye
26:04contact. They may stay silent or look afraid to speak or someone else may be coaching them on what to say.
26:12They may have bruises or other signs of emotional abuse and they may not have access to their own IDs or
26:18income. If you have any information to share with the authorities, please call or text the number that
26:25is it will appear on the screen or use the web chat at humantraffickinghotline.org. These lines are all
26:33open 24-7. If you suspect a child may be involved in the commercial sex trade, you have a legal duty to report
26:42your concerns to the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services or DCVS at 1-877-KY-SAFE-1 and to local law
26:53enforcement. We also know that there are people out there who may be suffering but also who believe this
26:59experience is normal. So I want to be very clear. If you are being forced to perform acts that you don't
27:05want to do, if you cannot leave the place that you want when you choose, or if you're not allowed to
27:11contact family and friends, that is not okay. If you are in a job where you're not being paid,
27:18or if you can't access your own money or IDs, please call or text these numbers on the screen and ask for
27:24help. If you don't have access to a phone, try to speak to a staff member or volunteer at hotels,
27:31restaurants, or venues and ask them to call 911. So let's look out for one another as Team Kentucky
27:37because every single person in Kentucky deserves to be safe and protected. And Governor, I'll turn it
27:43back over to you. Thank you to the Lieutenant Governor. I now want to turn to Real ID
27:54in May 7. And that's the date coming up that some people are calling a deadline. I think we ought to
28:02be calling it the federal enforcement date. May 7 is the time where the federal government is going to
28:07require you to have a form of Real ID to board an airplane, enter into a federal building. And the reason
28:17I say it's a federal enforcement date is I don't want people confused that you have to have
28:24a Real ID just in general by that time. We're going to keep issuing them after May the 7th. I'm going
28:32to get mine after May the 7th because there are other options that allow you to board an airplane or
28:41to go into a federal building after May the 7th. They're called other forms of Real ID. Those are a
28:49passport, passport card, global entry card, military ID, and a veteran health identification card. Those
28:57are among the different types of IDs that will satisfy the federal government. So I want to be
29:03clear on this. If you have a passport, you don't need to rush out right now while the lines are as long
29:11as they can be or be trying to get that appointment. You'll still be able to use that passport to fly
29:18and to be able to get a Real ID at a later date. We understand a lot of people are also rushing to
29:24upgrade their license. But again, if they don't need it right away, you have all those other options.
29:32Now Kentucky's been issuing Real ID licenses and ID cards since 2020. Legislation shifted that licensing
29:39and the responsibility from the circuit clerks to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet through its network
29:45of what we've now set up 34 drivers licensing regional offices. When you think about only having
29:52that duty for the last five-ish years, we think we've built out a network that we're going to have
30:00to have more of. But it's been a significant amount of hiring and staffing. It's been an effort that's
30:06helped more than 1.33 million Kentuckians get their Real ID since then. Licensing staff will keep
30:15issuing them after May 7th again. It's a federal enforcement date. It is not a cutoff when the
30:21state stops issuing Real IDs. In addition to the Federal Real ID, the General Assembly has added vision
30:28screening requirements and now the 15-year-old applications for permits. All three of these things
30:35are happening at the same time and it is increasing lines and I know it's frustrating, folks. So I want to
30:42make sure I give a couple tips as we're working hard to address the issue. I'm not satisfied with how
30:49our offices are currently working. We're bringing on more full-time employees and relying on less
30:55temporary employees. I'm looking at making a couple HR changes in work weeks and others that can hopefully
31:04recruit even more people. But to folks out there that are facing some of these deadlines,
31:09again, a couple of things that can help you. First, if you have a passport, I would wait.
31:16Again, a valid passport. You should check it. I consider waiting until after May 7th when there
31:21will be less of a crunch. If you're going in to get a new driver's license and you're worried about
31:27the lines, there are ways to skip the line. There are four renewal options. First, if you have the means,
31:34you can visit an eye specialist, ask for the vision screening form. And if you get that, you can go
31:39online and you can get your new license issued to you without ever going into one of the regional
31:45offices whatsoever. So again, if it's worth it to you to not have to do that and you have the means,
31:52go see an eye specialist. They'll fill out the form. You can upload it and you'll get your license
31:57renewed. There's also a new passcode method. You can visit any licensing office for a vision screening.
32:04And then you can receive your passcode, return home and renew it online. In other words, you only
32:09have to deal with that one line for vision screening and you don't have to deal with any of the other
32:14parts inside the regional office. You can come home with that thing you need, submit it and get it
32:19issued. Or while at the licensing office, you can get your vision screening, ask for renewal form. You can
32:25fill it out there and receive a temporary license via email. And you can still renew by mail. You got to
32:32print the mail-in form at drive.ky.gov and fill it out and attach that completed vision form from an eye
32:39specialist. So as we are working again to provide better services at these facilities, these are ways
32:48you can lessen your headache. And we'd encourage as many people again who are able to skip the line,
32:55see that private eye specialist, never have to go in at all or go in, get your screening, but then renew
33:03online. All right. Next, I want to give an update on the severe weather that's brought historic flooding
33:09to many parts of our state and our work on disaster recovery. We got great news last week when President
33:17Trump approved part of my April 11th request for a major disaster declaration. The approval includes
33:23individual assistance for Kentuckians in the first 13 counties that we requested. If we can put those
33:31on the screen if we have them, they're Anderson, Butler, Carroll, Christian, Clark, Hardin, Hopkins,
33:41Jessamine, McCracken, Mercer, Owen, and Woodford. On Tuesday, I sent another request to FEMA asking
33:51that families in 16 more counties receive individual assistance. The 16 that are part of the second
33:59requests are shown on the screen. Just as a reminder, what we have found in past disasters is the fastest
34:06way to get assistance approved is to take a smaller group of counties that you have the best information
34:13on and go ahead and submit them. And then you start working on the next group to make sure you have
34:18all the information that's necessary there. Oftentimes, you've got to supplement what comes in initially,
34:24and then you submit that second group of counties. And then you work on submitting a third and possibly
34:31a fourth. I want to make it clear that additional counties will be requested. We've done it several
34:37times and we're going to continue to follow this track until FEMA or others tell us that a different
34:44approach would be better. Also this week, I requested public assistance. Remember, individual assistance
34:51opens up dollars directly to families. Public assistance helps counties, help cities, and helps
34:57the state in the costs that they've incurred. So I requested public assistance for 64 counties
35:04in which FEMA has validated damages. And as promised, we're asking President Trump to approve federal aid
35:10for additional counties and families affected by April's floods. These funds are crucial in helping our
35:17families and communities rebuild. And we will continue to add any county and area where we have
35:23sufficient information to do so. We've also renewed our request for approval for hazard mitigation
35:30for the entire state. I want to note how important that is. Hazard mitigation is often called the buyout
35:38program. It's what FEMA makes available when the President signs off on it to get somebody who lives in
35:44an area that's been flooded often multiple times to ultimately sell that property to move somewhere
35:50that is safer for them, but that FEMA won't be dealing with the next time or the time after that.
35:57You look at mitigation dollars thus far have covered the buyouts of more than 500 homes
36:01from the April, from the 2022 floods, the July 2022 floods. Those 500 homes are in Knott, Perry,
36:09Brethitt, Letcher, and Floyd counties, and the city of Jackson, certainly in Brethitt. The funds have helped
36:17also build more than 100 safe rooms. Those are shelters to give 44,000 Kentuckians refuge in the
36:26tornado hit areas. These dollars also brought hundreds of generators, which keep critical government
36:32services operating during power failure. So we're committed to seeking those dollars as well.
36:39And we hope we can get a reconsideration from the federal government. How to apply for FEMA residents
36:45and business owners who sustain losses in those 13 designated counties for the April flooding that
36:52have been approved thus far can begin applying through disaster assistance.gov by calling the federal
36:58emergency management agency at 800-621-FEMA or by using the FEMA app. Anyone using a relay service such as
37:08video relay services, caption telephone service, or other similar service can give FEMA the number
37:15for that service. We now have the locations for the disaster recovery centers in each of the 13 approved
37:23counties. They're on the screen and we will get them out via social media. On the transportation side,
37:31I'm happy to report we're down to now only 32 state highways closed. That's down from 550 at the peak.
37:3920 are still out of service by flooding. 12 are out of service because of mudslides. They expect continued
37:47decline of flood closures, but crews are still monitoring to keep Kentuckians safe. We are also out there
37:55inspecting bridges and roads for damage and we expect to continue to find more examples of of damage. Kentucky
38:02state parks are sheltering 109 people at two state parks and from the previous floods, 82 people at three state
38:10parks are occupying 32 rooms and Jenny Wiley is sheltering 149 people in 52 travel trailers. The
38:18team Kentucky storm relief fund is still open for those that can provide help. Thus far, it's raised 1.15
38:25million dollars from 4,333 donors. I want to thank the Delta Tall Delta fraternity in Moorhead that I think
38:34raised about four grand, went out and did a lot of work to do that, decided to take time out of
38:40out of their schedule in college where they could be doing a lot of things to do some good. Grateful for
38:45their work. And before we get to all stars, I got some news actually late yesterday, early today, because
38:56I was traveling and then at Will's baseball game, that a friend of mine, a commonwealth attorney in far
39:03western Kentucky, Mike Stacy, passed away in a car accident. Mike served as the commonwealth attorney
39:11for Ballard, Carlisle, Fulton and Hickman counties. He died Tuesday in a car crash in Clinton that also
39:19injured his son. We worked together a lot during my time as attorney general. He's a dedicated public
39:28servant, cared deeply about what he did. And the world and the commonwealth are going to miss Mike
39:37Stacy. So please join Brittany and me in praying for Stacy's son's recovery. The entire Stacy family,
39:43and I think I always say it, my faith teaches me that while the body is mortal, the soul is eternal,
39:50and we will see him again. Finally, our team Kentucky All Stars this week have to be everybody
39:57who work in law enforcement, in recovery, in treatment, everybody who has worked so hard to secure
40:05such a significant decrease in drug overdose deaths last year. Your work is saving lives. We are grateful.
40:12We have more work to do. We're going to recognize you on Tuesday, but you are undoubtedly this week's
40:18Team Kentucky All Stars. With that, we'll open it up to questions from our folks that are here
40:25in the studio, and then we've got some online. We'll start with Jessica Umbro from WKYT.
40:30Thank you. So we talked a little bit earlier in the week about tariffs. You have stated your stance
40:38on tariffs, and there was a vote in D.C. J.D. Vance broke the tie where it would have
40:44tried to reverse course on the Liberation Bay tariffs. We talked about your stance on them.
40:48Senator Rand Paul, Senator McConnell agreeing with you. What are the conversations behind the scenes
40:53to getting your perspective, something that's more heard in Washington, D.C., as lawmakers are
40:58considering where to go on? Tariffs are attacks on the American people, and the president's current
41:05tariff plan is causing chaos in our economy. It is slowing our economic growth. It's hitting large
41:13businesses with UPS announcing a lot of layoffs. It's hitting small and medium-sized businesses.
41:19They're having to lay off people that they know, that they go to church with, those kids go to
41:24school with their kids, and it's already impacting the American people who are struggling to get by,
41:31and now prices are starting to go up and up and up. This is one of the worst mistakes I think we have
41:39seen from a president, at least in my lifetime. It's caused harm in the stock market, the bond market,
41:48and the value of the dollar, and it's hard to cause all those all at the same time. That's how bad
41:53this approach is, and like you mentioned, it's not just me that's saying all this. It's Rand Paul.
41:58It's Mitch McConnell. It's anybody who's willing to tell the truth to the American people, and I think
42:04the president's been very clear. This is his call, which means the economic harm that's being caused
42:10is directly attributable to him because he's owning every decision on this.
42:18What I'm trying to do is we reach out through our office to talk about some of the not just cuts that
42:24we see out there, but also policy, and encourage anybody and everybody to speak up, but trying to
42:33make sure that they're not seeing it as political, which is a difficult dance sometime. But what I'm
42:39trying to do even more is speak up nationally and encourage people out there to tell their story. I
42:46don't think the most important voice is any congressman, any senator, or any governor. The
42:50most important voice is the voice of the American family that's struggling, and everybody has a phone
42:55now. Everybody can tell their story. Everybody's connected online to a certain number of people,
43:00and the more of those stories get out there, the more and more and more the American people
43:05will see what a bad plan this is, but they're starting to see it, and they're starting to react.
43:11Carolina.
43:12That big decrease specifically among the black residents, what caused that? Because like you said,
43:23in the Friday reports, we saw that there wasn't really much progress. After those reports,
43:28what caused that significant decrease?
43:33Well, I think a lot of work over the years that might not have shown up in last year's report,
43:40but there was a lot of work going on last year, and I think there was a lot of pain
43:45last year when the report overall was good news, but they were still really tough news for our
43:52African American communities. I want to give the majority of the credit to that decrease to the groups
43:57that work in those communities, the leaders in those communities that saw that report,
44:03saw what was possible, and redoubled their efforts. That's everybody from our faith leaders, which is
44:09such a strong group in Kentucky and in these communities, especially to the recovery groups,
44:18and then to everybody out there who got that Narcan to help somebody out. I want to give as much of the
44:25credit as we can to those that are on the ground in those communities for making this happen. And I'm
44:32glad that we can all celebrate this year. And I think that this is a watershed moment. I mean,
44:38we have been waiting for not just a little hope, but a lot of hope. And I think this gave us a lot of hope.
44:44Now our challenge has got to be to see something big the next year and the next one after that,
44:50because if we can continue this momentum, we can be headed to a much better place. And as a dad of two
44:55teenagers, I want us to get to a much better place where I or any parent am not worried that you might
45:03get a call totally unsuspecting with some of these dangerous drugs out there being laced in other things.
45:09Um, we want to see a better world where we don't lose any of our people to an overdose. Uh, Bodie.
45:15Thank you, sir. We got a little work race this weekend. Yeah, we do.
45:19Uh, I'm curious your thoughts. What role does the Kentucky Derby play in opening up more business opportunities?
45:26The Kentucky Derby has both an incredible economic impact on Kentucky and is our premier day for talking to
45:36businesses that either are looking at Kentucky or could potentially look at Kentucky first from an
45:42economic impact standpoint. It's over $440 million when you look at at the whole Derby season. I mean,
45:49that's enormous and I don't want to understate it. Just the event and the events around it itself
45:56bring in so many tourism dollars. They, they help fuel our economy. But then on Derby day,
46:02I walk about eight miles. Uh, and that's because we have so many decision makers who are in that are
46:08seeing Kentucky. Maybe for the first time we invite people in who are trying to make that final decision
46:13about where to locate, uh, their, their company. And this is a real opportunity that we got to make
46:21sure we hustle at every single year. I typically see about two races on Derby day. One, if I'm just
46:26lucky enough to be standing next to the window and, and won the Derby race itself. But I mean,
46:31this is a, a date where we don't just see celebrities and athletes, which are, which are great. It raises
46:37a profile of the event, but we see international CEOs enjoying the best of the best of hospitality.
46:43And I want to thank all the workers that are there at Churchill, that are in all of our restaurants,
46:48that are in our hotels, because the way we roll out the red carpet shows a lot about us.
46:54And in this new Kentucky home that we're building and this initiative we have out there,
46:58we want people not just to know what it's like to do business here, but what it's like to live
47:02here. That idea that a CEO, isn't just moving a business, uh, she or he are moving their families.
47:09And this is a great opportunity to show, uh, that we can put on, uh, one of the greatest events out
47:14there, uh, that everybody enjoys. All right. Tom late tech is on the line.
47:25Thank you. I'm probably getting the unmute button going there. So pardon me. Um,
47:31how did Kentucky compare to the other states with our 30% decrease in overdose, uh, deaths? And again,
47:39could you run a couple of bullet points past me of what do you think the factors are for this huge
47:43decrease? Or I actually huge decrease. Yeah. Decrease in overdose deaths.
47:50So, so, um,
47:52still waiting, um, to be able to give you the comparison of us versus national, because the CDC
47:59report, uh, which we could compare, uh, ran through November. Uh, and for instance, for Kentucky,
48:05included non Kentucky residents that might've been traveling through and died of an overdose,
48:10the way we calculate in many other states, uh, would move those to the, to the state, uh, of their
48:16residents, um, at least on the CDC reporting. Again, the different set of numbers, the nation also saw
48:22a similar, uh, but I think slightly less, um, uh, of a, a decrease in overdose deaths, but it's still
48:29huge. I mean, it's still really exciting news, not just for Kentucky, uh, but for the country,
48:35the country itself. Uh, if I w if we're giving thanks, uh, I'd start with, uh, law enforcement
48:42and the amount of dangerous drugs that have been removed from the streets. That's Kentucky
48:47state police, national guard, uh, sheriff's offices, uh, city police. Uh, it's, it's our, our fire
48:54and other groups that come into contact, uh, and are able to, to remove those drugs, uh, from the streets.
49:01It's our, uh, treatment centers that see people, um, at one of their toughest moments, um, and get
49:08them on their path towards healing. It's recovery services that wrap their arms around people who
49:13have gone through or going through treatment and help get them back into life, but to provide that
49:19extra help that people might need for the weeks and months and years, uh, that, that come, uh, after
49:25it's Medicaid, it's Medicaid covering, uh, these services. That was a huge change that opened up,
49:31uh, a bed for every Kentuckian who needed one. Um, it's having all different forms of treatment
49:37from 12 steps to, to, uh, medically assisted treatment that are out there because different
49:43people need different things. So it is a ton of work from thousands of people recognizing there's not
49:50one right way, but there's, should be lots of different options because what matters
49:54is we help that person. And I want to give credit to the people who ask for help.
49:59They deserve a lot of credit for, for, for asking for help, for being willing to admit
50:05that they're suffering for addiction from addiction and getting better. Okay. Andrew Rowan, WCPO.
50:13Hi, governor. I'm in Pendleton County today. FEMA is here doing damage assessments for individual
50:18relief. But overall, I'm just hearing frustration about the length of time this relief process takes.
50:24Is there anything that can help speed it along? Yeah, I believe that Pendleton County will be
50:30included in our third request for counties. The initial information that we received wouldn't
50:38have qualified. And we knew that there was more damage that's, that's been there. So our emergency
50:43operations center has been working with local officials who've done a really good job
50:47of getting that information together. I think we are at a good point. A little more might, might be
50:54helpful that they're working on, but I fully expect Pendleton County to be in the third set of requested
51:01counties. And finally, Gil McClanahan.
51:04We'll give him just one more minute. Okay, we'll catch up with Gil and get his question answered. We'll
51:19leave you today, since this is Derby Week.
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