Weekly update and story list

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 KentuckyForward 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.

Forward KentuckyJazmin 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.

Forward KentuckyProgress 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.

Forward KentuckyKen 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.

Forward KentuckyBerry 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.

Forward KentuckyGuest 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.

Forward KentuckyBruce 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.

Forward KentuckyKentucky Lantern

Sports betting revived in the legislature

HB 551 sets up a framework for sports betting in the Commonwealth.

Forward KentuckyLinkNKY

An overwhelming majority of voters support protecting access to abortion

This poll by Data for Progress shows widespread, bipartisan support for access to abortion.

Forward KentuckyGuest 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.

Forward KentuckyBruce 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 KentuckyForward Kentucky

Repubs grabbing control of boards

Republicans in the legislature are quietly consolidating power behind the scenes.

Forward KentuckyBruce 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?

Forward KentuckyBruce Maples

Republican shenanigans in Frankfort

They’ve been bending and flaunting the rules and good governance for years – but now it’s gotten worse.

Forward KentuckyBruce 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

Forward KentuckyBruce Maples

Who in Frankfort is taking care of our children?

Hint: It’s not the Republican majority.

Forward KentuckyJoanie Prentice

General Assembly overrun with mule bills

Over 10% of the bills this session are mule bills, which is an astounding percentage.

Forward KentuckyBruce Maples

DeSantis Jugend

Once again, the history of the 1930’s is paralleled in the GOP of 2023.

Forward KentuckyGuest Author