In 2007, the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce launched the New Agenda for Kentucky initiative to encourage Kentuckians to look at things in a different way, think creatively about our state's challenges and opportunities and submit ideas to create an energetic new agenda to move our state forward.

The project was guided by a private-sector task force of established executives and young entrepreneurs and used a website (www.newagendaky.com) and other strategies to solicit ideas for improving Kentucky.

The response was impressive. Kentuckians submitted more than 400 ideas on topics ranging from improving education to creating healthier communities. The task force reviewed the suggestions and selected the top 100 ideas to create the New Agenda for Kentucky, which was presented to the governor early in 2008.

The New Agenda focused on five transformational goals — goals that have now become the foundation of the Kentucky Chamber's strategic plan:
• Improving the educational attainment of Kentuckians.
• Modernizing government.
• Promoting wellness and healthy Kentuckians.
• Preparing Kentucky to successfully compete in the global marketplace.
• Expanding Kentucky's role as an energy leader.

Since the initial report was issued, we have made it a point to monitor what is happening in Kentucky related to those five goals. The latest update, released during the Kentucky Chamber's Economic Summit in mid-July in Louisville, concluded the state has made good progress in several areas despite the tough economy. Here is a breakdown

Education: Moving forward

Kentucky has adopted new standards to better prepare students for college and work. The standards are benchmarked against what students learn in countries whose education systems rank as the best in the world.

Legislation adopted this year will make it easier for community college students to transfer to four-year public universities.

The latest scores from the National Assessment of Educational Progress show Kentucky students outscoring the nation in reading but performing at lower levels in math.

The high school graduation rate has slipped, but the dropout rate has improved.

Modernizing government: moving forward

The legislature enacted a 2010-12 budget that included significant savings in corrections, Medicaid and public employee health benefits. The Chamber has advocated such an approach as part of its Leaky Bucket research on state spending.

Kentucky has been recognized as a national leader in making budget, salary and contract information available to the public online.

On the negative side, "serious concerns" about Kentucky's public pension system were cited in a national study, which also pointed out that the state has made some positive reforms in recent years.

Collaboration among teachers, school administrators and legislators resulted in the General Assembly's approval of a long-term sustainable method for funding health insurance for retired teachers.

Wellness: standing still

Kentucky continues to struggle with poor health status among its citizens, ranking near the bottom of the nation on several indicators.

Efforts to make it more affordable for employers to provide wellness programs for their employees stalled in the General Assembly.

On the positive side, the 2010-12 state budget includes funding for a smoking cessation program for Medicaid recipients, and more children are receiving coverage under the Kentucky Child Health Insurance Program.

Global success: moving forward

Kentucky's business tax climate ranking moved from 34th to 20th in a Tax Foundation report, the result of the legislature's refusal to raise taxes during the economic downturn.

The tough economy notwithstanding, nearly 7,000 new jobs were created in Kentucky during 2009.

Business and labor leaders crafted a consensus solution to restore the balance in the state's unemployment insurance trust fund — saving Kentucky and its employers about $700 million over the next decade.

Energy: moving forward

Kentucky ranks third in the nation in coal production and fifth in total energy production, and the price of electricity in Kentucky remains among the lowest in the country.

A gubernatorial task force found that, with improved productivity, Kentucky could produce 25 million tons of biomass a year in a sustainable manner by 2025 — generating up to $3.4 billion in annual economic activity.

Kentucky received more than $52 million in funds for energy programs under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The University of Kentucky won a federal grant to research cheaper ways to remove carbon dioxide from the gas released by coal-fired power plants.

The nation's second-largest algae factory is being planned by Alltech, a leading animal health and nutrition company headquartered in central Kentucky. Algae shows great promise for dealing with improving energy production and climate change.
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The Kentucky Chamber's purpose in preparing the update is to provide Kentuckians — both citizens and elected leaders — with meaningful data that will help all of our efforts to build a strong future for our state.

Download the full report at www.kychamber.com.

Dave Adkisson is president and CEO of the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. He can be contacted at 502-695-4700.