House approves bill to move Kentucky Wired oversight into state technology office
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Summary
The Kentucky House on Jan. 30 passed House Bill 314, shifting oversight of the Kentucky Wired project and the Kentucky Communications Network Authority into the Commonwealth Office of Technology and reconstituting the KCNA board; the bill passed 80-13 after adoption of a committee substitute and a floor amendment.
The Kentucky House of Representatives on Jan. 30 approved House Bill 314, a measure that transfers management of the Kentucky Wired project and the functions of the Kentucky Communications Network Authority (KCNA) into the Commonwealth Office of Technology (COT).
Supporters said the move centralizes oversight and addresses long-standing concerns about the project’s performance and costs. "This administration has squandered a great opportunity to have a robust network," said the gentleman from Jasmine, arguing for fresh oversight. The committee substitute adopted on the floor removes the attorney general and the governor from the new KCNA board and reconstitutes membership to include state chief information officers and representatives from rural development partners.
Under the bill as amended, KCNA will be attached to the Finance and Administration Cabinet and its functions — maintenance, oversight, network management, contract compliance and financial reporting — will transfer to COT. The bill requires COT to decide which former KCNA staff, if any, will be retained by June 30, 2026. The explainer cited a written concern from the Kentucky Department of Education’s associate commissioner and chief information officer that forced conversions on some districts could add hundreds of thousands of dollars in cost; the example cited was an approximate $300,000 additional cost for Davies County.
House Committee Substitute 1 and House Floor Amendment 1 were adopted on voice votes. Final roll-call on the passage recorded 80 members voting aye and 13 nay; the clerk announced the bill as passed. A motion to clinch was moved and objected to; clincher was applied.
The House record shows the sponsor as Representative Lockett and the floor explanation delivered by the gentleman from Jasmine. The measure was presented as an emergency relating to the Kentucky Communications Network Authority and declared an emergency in the bill caption. The House passed the amended bill and recorded the vote; further procedural steps were not described on the floor record.