KFTC Blog

Pies and Dance for I Love Mountains Day

Posted by: Cory Lowery on February 12, 2013 in , Madison County, I Love Mountains Day


Madison County pie auction and contra dance

How does a KFTC member get in the spirit for I Love Mountains Day? In Berea, a contra dance and a pie auction can do the trick. On Friday the Madison County chapter partnered with the Oh Contraire contra dancers to host a dance and pie auction to raise awareness about mountaintop removal coal mining and to raise money, but most of all to give Bereans a chance to have fun on the dance floor. Around sixty chapter members, Berea residents and college students gathered at Berea’s Russell Acton Folk Center to dance and to write valentines to Governor Beshear, caller Joe Wilkie leading the dancers through a variety of traditional dances throughout the night.

0 comments view comments

Lexington loves mountains events were a hit!

Posted by: Ondine Quinn on February 12, 2013 in Coal and Water, New Energy and Transition, Communities Taking Action, , Mountaintop Removal and Strip Mining, Central Kentucky, featured, , Fundraiser, , I Love Mountains Day

0 comments view comments

HB 70 Passes Committee!

Posted by: Dave Newton on February 12, 2013 in Voting Rights, Kentucky Voting Rights Amendment (HB 70), General Assembly

gIMG_0146This morning, House Bill 70, our bill to restore voting rights to former felons  who have served their debt to society, passed out of the House Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee with 6 yes votes, 1 no and 2 abstentions.

Rep Jesse Crenshaw, Terry Nayden (LWV), Raoul Cunninham (NAACP), and Fr. Pat Delahanty (Catholic Conference) gave testimony in support of the bill.

The League of Women Voters released a revision of their study of felony disenfranchisement in Kentucky today and presented it to the committee. 

1 comment view comments

Strong testimony helps delay bad selenium rule

Posted by: KFTC on February 11, 2013 in Coal and Water, Enforcement, Floyd County, Water Quality

A legislative subcommittee today took action to defer for at least 30 days approval of a weakened water quality standard for selenium.

0 comments view comments

Live streaming today's selenium hearing

Posted by: Erik Hungerbuhler on February 11, 2013 in Coal and Water, General Assembly, , Water Quality

We will be providing some live video coverage from this afternoon's hearing to weaken our state's water quality standards on selenium on our Ustream channel.

0 comments view comments

Beshear administration rushing to weaken water quality standard for selenium

Posted by: KFTC on February 11, 2013 in Coal and Water, Enforcement, Water Quality

Today in Frankfort, a group of lawmakers will consider a rushed proposal from Kentucky’s Division of Water to significantly weaken the water quality standard for selenium pollution.

0 comments view comments

First day back lobbying in Frankfort was a big hit

Posted by: Dave Newton on February 8, 2013 in Voting Rights, Kentucky Voting Rights Amendment (HB 70), I Love Mountains Day

gIMG_0114On Wednesday, KFTC members gathered in Frankfort for our first regular lobby day of the General Assembly, kickstarting our 2013 grassroots lobbying for legislation to restore voting rights toformer felons who have served their debt to society. 

This was the first time lobbying for several of us, and a key space to learn how.

In all, we talked to 19 legislators, several of which were new themselves, having just been elected the previous November. 

Two of our citizen lobbyists were former felons themselves, Mark Romines of Louisville and Teddi Smith Robillard of Lexington.  Telling their stories to legislators face-to-face and connecting with them was a really key part of the day.

0 comments view comments

HB 142 – believing we can move Kentucky forward

Posted by: KFTC on February 6, 2013 in Economic Justice, Tax Reform, State Budget

Legislators can move Kentucky significantly forward by giving serious consideration to comprehensive tax reform legislation introduced by Rep. Jim Wayne on Tuesday.

“The reality is … we are in a state of fiscal crisis,” Wayne said, adding that his intent is “to begin the debate during this session ... and start educating the legislators and the general public about the crisis.”

House Bill 142 would raise about $800 million in new revenue, mostly by tapping income and transactions that now go untaxed. That includes extending the sales tax to about 15 services and lowering to $35,000 per person the exclusion for pension income.

He pointed out that the bill would decrease taxes on the lowest incomes, primarily through a refundable Earned Income Tax Credit.

KFTC members joined Rep. Wayne at the press conference, with Becki Winchel delivering a statement on behalf of KFTC’s Economic Justice Committee. She reminded those present that, “Our state budget is one of the best means we have for moving Kentucky and its people forward.

0 comments view comments

Hazard meeting with State Senator Brandon Smith

Posted by: Tanya Turner on February 4, 2013 in New Energy and Transition, Voting Rights, Kentucky Voting Rights Amendment (HB 70), , Sustainable Energy, Harlan County, , Perry County, General Assembly

January 2013 meeting with Sen. Brandon SmithJust days before traveling back to Frankfort for the two upcoming months of General Assembly, new Senate Majority Whip Brandon Smith met up with KFTC members at the Perry County Library.   This was one of several at-home meetings KFTC members organized this past week to open up communication during this General Assembly as well as to build support for the Clean Energy Opportunity Act.  Members from Perry County, Harlan County, and Letcher County met with Sen. Smith about this legislative priority as well as the Kentucky Voting Rights Amendment (HB 70) and other local issues. 

2 comments view comments

Voting Rights Meeting and Action!

Posted by: Dave Newton on February 4, 2013 in Voting Rights, Kentucky Voting Rights Amendment (HB 70), Jefferson County, General Assembly, , Voter Empowerment

 gIMG_0078-3

 This weekend, we had a powerful statewide meeting in Louisville with allies to plan our campaign to restore voting rights to former felons who have served their debt to society.

We had forty participants from a wide range of groups including Jobs with Justice, NAACP, the Kentucky Council of Churches, Stepping to a New Beat, and the UAW along with a lot of KFTCmembers.  Many of the participants were former felons themselves. 

We used a lot of the time to let people in the room have a chance to connect, root themselves in why they think restoring voting rights is important, and review the history of ourcampaign and the current landscape. 

But after that, we focused a lot on actions to restore voting rights to former felons and we're sharing those out to the broader public here:

0 comments view comments

Page

Subscribe to KFTC Blog
© 2013 Kentuckians For The Commonwealth