Announcements aid job growth, combat addiction, speed natural disaster recovery, boost tourism

FRANKFORT, KY - On June 12, 2024, Gov. Andy Beshear wraps up the first six months of his second term in office, which has been filled with major announcements that highlight the state’s forward momentum.

The Governor continues to take actions that further job growth, combat addiction, speed the recovery from natural disasters, boost tourism and make the commonwealth a better place for families to live and work. The latest in a string of positive news occurred last week when the Governor announced overdose deaths declined in 2023 by nearly 10% compared with 2022.

“It is an exciting time to be a Kentuckian – we are on an economic roll like we have never seen before – and we are going to keep our foot on the gas,” Gov. Beshear said. “We are making historic progress for our families, and we are simply not looking at the same Kentucky anymore. Now we are welcoming more businesses, visitors and residents to our new Kentucky home.”

In his second-term “Forward, Together” inaugural address, delivered Dec. 12, 2023, on the steps of the state Capitol, the Governor pledged to keep working to create a better life and more opportunity for every generation that comes after us. He committed to push division aside and work with others to make Kentucky both an economic and moral leader in the United States. Over the past six months, the Governor’s vision has produced real results.

Growing Jobs
Since the beginning of his administration, Gov. Beshear has announced more than 1,000 private-sector new-location projects, totaling over $31.7 billion and creating more than 53,300 jobs for Kentuckians. The largest announcement over the past six months occurred with Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, announcing that it will increase its investment in battery electric vehicle (EV) production at its Georgetown facility to $1.3 billion.

In May, Gov. Beshear joined business and community leaders to cut the ribbon on a center that will train Kentuckians for new jobs at the BlueOval SK Battery Park, which is creating 5,000 new jobs. The park is located in Glendale and contains the two largest battery plants in the world.

Last month, the Governor announced the state has completed its third round of awards to private developers to build federally funded EV charging stations. Kentucky has now approved 42 charging stations for a total of $27.2 million in federal formula funds.

These investments further solidify Kentucky as the EV capital of the United States. The EV battery-related economic development projects secured by Gov. Beshear since June 2020 total $11.7 billion and are expected to create 10,250 full-time jobs. Click here to view more job announcements from the past six months.

Gov. Beshear has also been committed to job-ready site development. Since January 2024, the Governor has announced 24 projects through the second round of the Kentucky Product Development Initiative, which is the state’s program to support the development and expansion of job sites, that benefit 26 counties. Read more.

In April, Gov. Beshear traveled to Germany and Switzerland to meet with leaders at existing Kentucky companies and businesses to generate future investments and job growth in Kentucky.

In March, Site Selection magazine released its 2023 Governor’s Cup rankings, placing Kentucky third nationally in economic projects per capita and first in the South Central region. Kentucky has placed in the top 3 nationally and atop the South Central region in the per capita rankings each year of the administration.

Also in March, thanks to up-to-$961 million in U.S. Department of Energy funding and companies betting on Kentucky, the Governor was able to announce five planned economic development projects over five days that could bring thousands of new jobs and billions of dollars in investment.

In February, Gov. Beshear announced that more Kentucky-made products were shipped around the world in 2023 than in any other year on record. The commonwealth broke its single-year total with $40.2 billion in exports, a 16.6% increase over the previous year.

Fighting Addiction
Last week, Gov. Beshear announced that overdose deaths in the commonwealth have decreased for the second year in a row, with 2023 seeing a nearly 10% decrease compared with the previous year. The report continues Kentucky’s trend in declining overdose deaths. In 2022, Kentucky’s drug overdose deaths declined by 5% compared with 2021, marking the first decline since 2018.

In May, the Governor announced that the state’s Counterdrug Program, which includes the Kentucky National Guard and Kentucky State Police, has helped save Kentuckians’ lives, increasing the number of fentanyl pills seized by more than 5,000% and seizing more than 100 pounds more of fentanyl powder as compared with 2022.

As part of Second Chance Month in April, Gov. Beshear launched a new website to provide Kentuckians overcoming addiction or leaving incarceration with resources that can help them find a job, get an education and support their continued recovery. The site also includes resources to help businesses hire second chance talent. Visit secondchance.ky.gov.

In March, the Governor announced that the state’s FindHelpNowKy.org website now helps Kentuckians find places to obtain the life-saving drug naloxone, which is used to reverse opioid overdose.

This year, Kentucky leads the nation in the number of residential drug and alcohol treatment beds per capita.

Recovering From Natural Disasters
The Governor continues to lead recovery efforts following the 2021 tornadoes in Western Kentucky and the 2022 floods in Eastern Kentucky.

Last week, the Governor announced that Team Kentucky has partnered with Fahe to support local communities rebuilding from the floods of 2021 and 2022 in Eastern Kentucky. Fahe will help Kentuckians navigate the application process for homeownership, allowing flood victims to secure permanent housing. Kentuckians impacted are encouraged to visit housingcantwait.org and fill out an interest questionnaire. In total, Housing Can’t Wait partners have built 63 homes, and 270 homes have received major rehabilitation (333 total completed homes) since 2022.

Also last week, the Governor joined local leaders and nonprofit home builder Housing Development Alliance (HDA) in Chavies to present keys to a new home to flood survivor Melissa Neace. The celebration marked HDA’s 100th flood survivor to receive keys to a new home or receive significant repairs. HDA has completed 23 new homes and 77 home rehabs since the 2022 flooding.

On June 3, Gov. Beshear announced the state and the Kentucky Housing Corporation will work together to build 953 affordable rental units in communities impacted by the 2021 tornadoes. A total investment of more than $223.1 million will support 11 projects, marking the single-largest housing development undertaking in state agency history.

Last month, Gov. Beshear joined local officials and nonprofit leaders in Mayfield to dedicate 10 new homes for tornado survivors. More than $21.6 million has been committed from the Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund to construct or repair 300 homes. To date, more than 200 home-building projects have been completed, are under construction or have been approved to start construction.

In Eastern Kentucky, the Governor has announced seven high-ground communities in four counties. Together, the communities will bring over 500 new homes to the area. In April, the Cottages at Thompson Branch became the first high-ground community with occupancy, and construction on eight more homes at Thompson Branch will begin this summer. Also in April, at the former Volunteer Fire Department site in Wayland, 11 families began preparing to move in this summer. Read more.

In March, the Governor announced that the state will begin taking applications for funding from Kentucky’s 2022 Disaster Recovery Program. Selected projects will address housing, infrastructure, economic development and resiliency planning. Funding comes from the more than $297.9 million allocated by the federal government to respond to the flooding of 2022.

Growing Tourism
In May, the Governor announced that 2023 marked a new record year for Kentucky tourism, with $13.8 billion generated in economic impact and 95,222 jobs, as tourism remains a key piece of the commonwealth’s booming economy.

In February, Gov. Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman announced that Kentucky Main Street program communities continue to thrive with a reported $61.4 million cumulative investment in downtown commercial districts, generating a net gain of 649 new jobs and 126 new businesses.

In February, the Governor joined local leaders to kick off Kentucky State Parks’ 100th Anniversary celebration and announced major investments for the parks.

In December, Gov. Beshear announced that in 2022, Kentucky recorded its best year for growth of its signature bourbon and spirits industry, with over $2.1 billion in new investments and approximately 700 new jobs for Kentucky residents.

Investing in a Better Commonwealth
Over the past six months, the Governor has worked with lawmakers to secure some exciting investments that will continue to move the state forward. In April, Gov. Beshear announced that the upcoming budget includes another $70 million for the state’s build-ready site development program. He also helped secure $130 million to support approved mega-economic development projects that are at least $10 million.

The budget for the upcoming biennium also includes a historic investment of $300 million for major transportation infrastructure projects to ensure that Kentucky can compete for federal funding for the I-69 Ohio River crossing in Henderson and completion of the Mountain Parkway Extension project between Salyersville and Prestonsburg.

The new budget also includes $150 million for two new programs: an emergency fund for troubled or economically restrained water and wastewater systems and other assistance for these systems and includes $184 million for 40 specific cleaner water projects.

The Governor’s administration continues to build a better Kentucky for all our communities and families by expanding access to high-speed internet, providing food assistance for children this summer and securing federal funds to clean up communities, create good-paying jobs and spur economic opportunity by reclaiming abandoned mine lands.

A few weeks ago, the Governor also took action to continue working toward creating a more equitable and just commonwealth by declaring Juneteenth a holiday for state Executive Branch employees and expanding protections in state hiring and employment to include natural hairstyles.

Over the past six months, the Governor has continued to host his regular Team Kentucky Update news conferences to provide crucial information to the media and Kentuckians.

During the previous four years, Gov. Beshear and his administration set a high-speed pace and secured major benefits for Kentucky families and communities. To read about the Governor’s first term accomplishments, click here.