Notes from Bruce
Good evening! Hope your weekend has been a good one, and you’re not dealing with too much stuff from the weekend weather.
We’re chugging through the General Assembly, with lots of news out of Frankfort, which you’ll see in the story list below. There are some good commentaries as well, which I hope you will share via social media.
In fact, you taking the initiative to share our work through social media and via emailing it to others is something I’m going to be talking about more and more. For ForwardKY to be “the progressive voice for Kentucky politics,” you have to help us make that voice bigger and louder. So hit those sharing buttons and that email link.
Thanks for being a member! Here’s this week’s content.
Bruce
This week’s content
Most-viewed post this week
Kentucky lawmakers advance worst anti-trans bill in the country
The KY GOP is determined to be #1 in the country – in attacks on trans kids.
Forward Kentucky
Media this week
Housing issues with George Eklund and a session update
This week George Eklund of the Louisville Coalition of the Homeless joined us to talk about housing issues facing Louisville and Kentucky. And, we discuss several bills in the legislature.
Jazmin Smith
Is it over yet? Or, what fresh hell?
Aaron, Martina and Willie weigh in on the horror show that is the Kentucky General Assembly, and then interview Keith Elston, Founder and Legal Director of the Kentucky Youth Law Project.
Progress Kentucky
Stories this week
Aid to Ukraine: a Marshall Plan 2.0
It’s time to remind the Republicans of what they used to stand for.
Ken Wolf
Chad Aull on fighting, losing, and getting up to fight again
Aull is one of a small number of Dems who continue to stand for what’s right in the House.
Berry Craig
Bernie Sanders reintroduces PRO Act as labor activity is on the rise
The PRO Act is a sweeping piece of labor legislation that would massively increase workers’ ability to unionize.
Guest Author
Ky House passes “let’s cause more teen suicides” bill
Three-fourths of the persons in the Kentucky House voted for this bill. Think about that.
Bruce Maples
Bill to ensure proper reporting of child abuse in Kentucky advances
SB 229 is another bill focused on children’s welfare sponsored by Sen. Julie Raque Adams.
Kentucky Lantern
Sports betting revived in the legislature
HB 551 sets up a framework for sports betting in the Commonwealth.
LinkNKY
An overwhelming majority of voters support protecting access to abortion
This poll by Data for Progress shows widespread, bipartisan support for access to abortion.
Guest Author
Quarles and Cameron steal parts of Beshear’s platform.
Apparently, even the GOP realizes that both Governor Beshear AND his policies are popular across Kentucky. So popular, in fact, the two Republican candidates for governor have stolen part of Beshear’s platform.
Bruce Maples
HB 3, juvenile justice bill, passes the House, heads to Senate
Bill provides funding to reopen Louisville detention center, but also increases incarceration of young people and makes their records public
Forward Kentucky
Repubs grabbing control of boards
Republicans in the legislature are quietly consolidating power behind the scenes.
Bruce Maples
Do we want Repubs in charge of government IT?
Will six leges actually be able to even understand everything in the state’s IT division, much less oversee it?
Bruce Maples
Republican shenanigans in Frankfort
They’ve been bending and flaunting the rules and good governance for years – but now it’s gotten worse.
Bruce Maples
Anti-trans Action Alert
HB 470, the worst anti-trans bill in this year’s legislative session, is going to be heard in committee soon. A number of organizations have signed a letter to members of the House asking them to vote the bill down and kill it. This Action Alert is to ask you
Bruce Maples
Who in Frankfort is taking care of our children?
Hint: It’s not the Republican majority.
Joanie Prentice
General Assembly overrun with mule bills
Over 10% of the bills this session are mule bills, which is an astounding percentage.
Bruce Maples
DeSantis Jugend
Once again, the history of the 1930’s is paralleled in the GOP of 2023.
Guest Author
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