To address the continuing threat of terrorism and to work with the federal Department of Homeland Security (created in 2002 following the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001), homeland security in Kentucky in 2003 operated under the authority of the governor; the adjutant general was designated as the state homeland security advisor.
An ombudsman in the Cabinet for Human Resources receives citizens' complaints concerning services offered by that agency. The Financial Disclosure Review Board was established in 1975 to review the financial status of constitutional officers and government management personnel in order to prevent conflicts of interest.
Educational services are provided through the Department of Education. The Council on Postsecondary Education oversees the state-supported colleges, universities, and technical schools. The Human Rights Commission and the Commission on Women are administered by the governor's office. Rehabilitation services, including the Eastern Kentucky Comprehensive Rehabilitation Center, are under the jurisdiction of the Department of Education. Transportation services are administered by the Transportation Cabinet. Health, welfare, and other human services are provided primarily by the Health Services, Families, and Children Cabinet. Among the agencies that provide public protection services are the Department of Military Affairs, the Public Protection and Regulation Cabinet, and the Consumer Protection Division of the Department of Law. Corrections and parole were transferred in 1981 from the Department of Justice to the Corrections Cabinet. The Department of State Police is part of the Justice Cabinet.
Housing rights for members of minority groups are provided by the Commission on Human Rights. The Department of Economic Development oversees industrial and community development programs within the Commerce Cabinet. Also assisting in community development are programs within the Department of Local Government, which was organized as an independent agency of the office of the governor in 1982.
Natural resource protection services are provided by the separate departments of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection, and Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, all within the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet. The Kentucky state park system is administered by the Department of Parks in the Tourism Cabinet, which also includes the Department of Travel Development, Kentucky Horse Park, and the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. The Energy Cabinet, created in 1978, is within the Department of Energy Research and Development.
Labor services are administered by the Labor Cabinet; its areas of concern include labor-management relations, occupational safety and health, and occupational injury and disease compensation. Other cabinets include those for finance and administration, personnel, revenue, and workforce development.