Legislative Alerts

From Take Back Kentucky:

For a complete list of "Good" and "Bad" bills please click here. 

Multiple Priority Alerts:

These alerts require phone calls and e-mails on a consistent basis if we are to have any effect on these issues this legislative session. If there was an alert you should be acting on this session and forwarding to others this is it.

 

UPDATED:

Food Freedom Bill - Cowshares  

 

Industrial Hemp - With Legislative Event 

this week. Citizens are needed to lobby on 2/2.  

 

Advance your Second Amendment Rights 

 

Stop the Sudafed Bill/Snot Tax - For more info go to Stop Meth Not Meds. 

 

For all other alerts CLICK HERE - Please keep in mind that legislation is fluid and these alerts will be tailored to fit the appropriate needs at the time, even within this week. So check this page often as they will change and some will be added as more legislation is also filed. There will be more timely alerts this week for more specific bills. 

Freedom of Religion Still Alive in KY

Most of you all know that I have been working with several groups including Take Back Kentucky and the ACLU on the "Amish Bill" that re-writes Kentucky's laws on slow moving vehicles. The current law has restricted the freedom of religion rights of many Amish sects in Kentucky. They have recently made the national news because they have refused to put the mandatory orange triangle reflector on their horse-drawn buggies. The orange triangle is in direct conflict with their religion because they do not believe in flashy colors and they also don't believe in the "trinity" which is also depicted by the triangle symbol.

Advocacy groups for this Amish group and proponents of a measure to tweak the KY law that violates their freedoms have worked together along with Sen. Winters and Sen. Thayer who proposed this week an alternative to the orange triangle. Sen. Winters proposed in the Senate transportation committee this Wednesday a measure that would allow slow moving vehicles to have an alternative that allows them to put a gray reflective tape around the vehicle that is as reflective (and actually more reflective) compared to the orange triangle.

This is a common sense solution to this issue that allows this Amish sect to practice their rights to freedom of religion while protecting them and us while not wasting thousands of taxpayer dollars trying to prosecute Amish members.

This common sense measure was readily acknowledged and therefor passed the Transportation Committee unanimously.

I hope that this bill passes as easily through Congress and is signed quickly by the Governor.

Side note: You may not be Amish and not care about this but if we don't stick up for their freedom of religion now then who is going to stick up for your religious rights when the government comes after you?

This quote from the Nazi/German era is still relevant today:

First they came for the communists,

and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics,
and I didn't speak out because I was Protestant.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Update on Comer and the Bees

In response to the HL article I posted about earlier, Commissioner James Comer put this on his Facebook.

"I wonder what the hard working taxpayers of KY would have thought if they had paid the bill for the former state beekeeper to go to Bangladesh to a bee conference? I am going to hire an Apiarist; however, we are going to be good stewards of the taxpayer's money. In the meantime, Kentucky State University, Eastern Kentucky and the University of Kentucky all have programs, research and outreach to answer any questions about beekeeping. Thx." -James Comer

Thank you Commissioner. It's not every day we hear an elected official in Kentucky talk like that. It's truly refreshing.

Comer Out to Sting KY Beekeepers?

Highly doubtful. This story in the Herald-Leader today is exactly what we have come to expect out of the Herald Mis-Leader.

H-L: Firing of state beekeeper stings Kentucky's apiarists

Ag Commissioner James Comer has been cleaning house since he took office the first of the month. And we in Kentucky all know that this is not an easy job considering the mess he was left. One of the non-merit employees that happened to lose their job was the State Apiarist (beekeeper) Phil Craft.

According to this hit-piece, I mean article, Craft was an outstanding employee who went above and beyond his call of duty and was let go solely for political purposes.

I do not know all of the logistics involving the letting go of Mr. Craft but I know Jamie and his team very well. I'm certain the reasons for this firing will come out with the audit being conducted by Mr. Edelen's office. Mr. Comer had his reasons and it certainly wasn't political.

I hope that Kentuckians do not read a hit-piece like this article and swallow it hook, line and sinker without getting all of the facts first.

GOP Candidates for NKY US Congressional Race Meet at Lincoln Dinner

This past Saturday all three declared GOP candidates for the US Congressional Seat in NKY gave speeches at the Buffalo Trace Lincoln Dinner.

CN|2 posted some highlights from the speeches including some video clips. I encourage you to read their article in it's entirety. Big differences with these candidates.

It's no secret that I am openly supporting Judge Thomas Massie for this seat. Please check out his platform and background on his website and go "Like" his page on Facebook.

Massie's full speech.

Free Rand Paul!

This has got to be the funniest thing ever!

The TSA in Nashville has detained Senator Rand Paul. Rand went through the metal detectors and it went off. He offered to go back through and the TSA agent said that he couldn't go back through and needed to get a full body pat down. When the Senator refused, the TSA decided to detain him for not cooperating.

How dumb can one be? Detain the most outspoken US Senator of the TSA who is on his way to Washington? He has made numerous speeches on the Senate floor denouncing the Constitutionality of the TSA.

TSA Director, "You did WHAT?!?!?"

But the Senator did get to show off his legs.

UPDATE: Senator Rand Paul will be on WLAP 630am with Leland Conway today at 3:30pm. This should be good! 

KY to Take Lead in Industrial Hemp

Kentucky is set to be a national leader in Industrial Hemp thanks to Commissioner James Comer, Sen. Joey Pendleton, and Rep. Richard Henderson. These guys deserve a huge thank you for being leaders in an extremely important initiative to create hundreds of thousands of jobs for our Commonwealth. Please take time to email each of them to tell them Thank You.

Com. James Comer: james.comer@ky.gov
Sen. Joey Pendleton: joey.pendleton@lrc.ky.gov
Rep. Richard Henderson: richard.henderson@lrc.ky.gov

Update from Take Back Kentucky including Upcoming Events:

Richie Farmer in the Return Aisle at the Ag Dept

I think Richie Farmer and James Comer have two completely different definitions of "cleaning house."

Farmer in the Return Aisle

Police Officer Gets Slap on Wrist for 148 accounts of Rape and Sodomy

With all the crap we have going on in Frankfort, I have a feeling this story is going to get ignored.

A former police officer, 31, pleads guilty to 148 accounts of rape and sodomy of one 14 year old girl.... and gets 3 years in jail. We all know he'll be out in one.

Disgusting. Why doesn't Frankfort go after tougher jail sentences for sexual crimes against children and quit worrying about Sudafed? 

HL story.  

Stand with Pat Davis and Other Moms Against the Snot Tax

Mrs. Pat Davis, Rep. Geoff Davis' wife, has asked for people to join her on Thursday in Frankfort to stand against the pseudoephedrine prescription-only bill. I plan to be there and I hope you can join us. 

Sen. Jensen's Dog and Pony Show

A friend sent this to me who was an observer during yesterday's "hearing" of the Sudafed bill in Sen. Jensen's committee.

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It is no secret that those who support making pseudoephedrine (PSE) prescription-only are playing for keeps, but yesterdays’s Senate Judiciary hearing on the PSE issue was a ridiculous spectacle that should further deteriorate any faith Kentuckians have left in the legislature.

At the meeting several speakers were asked to present their opinions on the RX-bill. Among them were an “un-bias” representative from the UK College of Pharmacy and several law enforcement officials from Mississippi and Oregon (two states that are debatably examples of this legislation working). Not only did all of the speakers severely misinterpret their “data,” leaving out key facts (like the fact that the reduction in meth labs in Oregon happened after PSE was placed behind the counter NOT after PSE became prescription-only), but where their argument was lacking in factual evidence they used emotional propaganda to pull on the heartstrings of the committee.

Fortunately, there were plenty of speakers who oppose this legislation ready to discuss the issue and present to the committee. So what exactly did they say at the hearing? Nothing. That’s right, nothing because they weren’t allowed to speak. The Judiciary Chair, Representative Tom Jensen, who also conveniently filed the RX bill, did not call on a single person from the opposition to present. A three-hour meeting and not one member from the opposition spoke because they “ran out of time.”

One of those who was denied an opportunity to speak was Jim Waters, policy and communications director for the Bluegrass Institute. As a free-market/individual-liberty minded policy expert, he knows exactly how detrimental this legislation would be to our personal liberties. He has highlighted over and over again that this is just another way that the government is weaseling its way into our medicine cabinets and denying consumers the right to choose the products they want. Jensen was clearly too afraid to let the committee hear what he had to say, which is too bad because it would have been the only compelling argument heard today.

It is angering to think that our legislators would engage is such a blatant disregard for the views of their constituents, particularly on such a highly contested issue.

Mitt Romney meets dieing medical marijuana patient

What a jerk...

Rep. Gregory Capitalizing on Child's Death

Take a look at Rep. Sara Beth Gregory using the death of an infant to capitalize on and push for the prescription of pseudoephedrine. She even goes as far as to say "it's pretty clear the system failed that child." Really? Because I'm pretty sure it was the parents that failed that child. Also, the child tragically died of drinking a household cleaner. Are you going to outlaw those too, Rep. Gregory??

Just in case you are wondering, yes Gregory is a Republican.

Don't miss 4:04 of this clip.

Breaking: Robbery at the KY Dept of Ag

Lost computers, missing laptops, over 500k in inventory gone and unaccounted for. No I'm not talking about a local Best Buy robbery. I'm talking about the Ky Department of Agriculture. I'm talking about 500k of taxpayer's money, mine and yours!

We all new this was going to get bad and bad it got... And quick.

(H/L)
Here's a list of inventory missing from the Department of Agriculture:

UNACCOUNTED FOR

Missing items issued to former Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer or his office:
■ Four Dell Latitude ES400 laptop computers, valued at a combined $4,727, according to the state
■ 24-inch flat-panel monitor, valued at $679 and listed as lost by the department
■ HP OfficeJet printer, not returned from home
■ $890 Dell computer, listed as lost
■ $1,595 Sharp fax machine, listed as lost
■ $3,630 Lexmark color printer, listed as lost
■ Garmin GPS, not returned
■ TomCat GPS or radar detector, not returned

Missing from the Agriculture Department:
■ 110-plus computers, and other computer equipment
■ $4,122 phone system with 15 phones and two consoles
■ $4,758 Gateway media center
■ $3,880 projector
■ $758 VCR for a breakroom for the division of regulation and inspection

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/01/12/2026295/herald-leader-exclusive-nearly.html#storylink=cpy

Items that the Agriculture Department cannot confirm were actually sent to surplus include:
■ Three 1993 Chevrolet vans, worth $3,750 each, used by the regulation and inspections division
■ 1970 Chevy truck valued at $2,215 used by the environmental services division
■ Dozens more computers
■ Seven copiers
■ Two truck toppers worth $705 each
■ $633 VHS player
■ $4,159 8-foot by 6-foot display for exhibits
■ $3,865 GPS receiver
■ Numerous sets of weights for testing scales
■ Two TomCat radar detectors, even though state employees are prohibited from using them.

SOURCE: Kentucky Department of Agriculture

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/01/12/2026295/herald-leader-exclusive-nearly.html#storylink=cpy

"Farmer is the only person who has not returned all department-issued equipment, according to the inventory record, said Holly VonLuehrte, general counsel at the Department of Agriculture."

Is anyone starting to feel bad for James Comer and his team? I sure am. Sheesh. 

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2012/01/12/2026295/herald-leader-exclusive-nearly.html#storylink=cpy

From Pat Davis on Today's Sudafed Bill "Hearing"

Pat Davis, a consumer and mother of six from northern Kentucky, traveled to Frankfort today for the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on pseudoephedrine. She signed up to speak along with several others who oppose the prescription requirement but was denied the opportunity to share her voice. She asked that we provide media with the following statement on her behalf. She hopes to have the opportunity to speak with (when) the issue is heard again.

“I am disappointed that I along with several other people who oppose Sen. Jensen’s bill weren’t given a chance to testify today. I specifically speak to the impact on consumers and parents, yet the committee was forced to watch videos of news reports and slides that have been seen several times already. It is apparent that the voices of consumers and parents aren’t important to the people running this process.”

– Mrs. Pat Davis, consumer and mother of six from northern Kentucky

UPDATE from earlier.