Watch the State of the Commonwealth address

On January 26, Governor Matt Bevin is delivering a combined State of the Commonwealth and the Budget Address. It’s an opportunity for Kentuckians to weigh in with our vision for Kentucky, and good policies to get us there.

We want a Kentucky with good jobs, clean air and water, quality public education, and healthy, vibrant communities. The Budget Address should reflect these priorities and our values, and the State of the Commonwealth should include a commitment to preserving what’s best about Kentucky, and plans for building off our progress.

We might hear that next Tuesday night. We might not. Either way, let’s continue to build on the beautiful vision uplifted earlier this month at our We Are Kentuckians rally and use the event to share out your values and priorities. Join in and speak out!

Take Action!

1) Plan or attend a watch party! Of course there’s Bingo!

Get in touch with your local organizer to learn about Watch Parties in your area. Or grab up some friends and host your own! Enjoy our State of the Commonwealth Game Sheet. It comes with 5 cards and a blank sheet if you want to make one for yourself.

2) Create a buzz before the Address!

Remind your folks that the Address is happening on Jan. 26 at 7:00 p.m. ET on KET (watch on TV or on KET’s website), and share out what you’d like to hear from it. What values to we want to see reflected in our budget, and how? For some tips on how to talk about the budget, check out the sidebar on this page.

3) Share your thoughts during the address with tweets, posts, and shares.

We’ll all hear different things. Share out what you’re hearing (and what you’d rather hear), and encourage others to do the same. Tag your comments with #kygov, #kyga16, @kftc, #vision4KY, #kytaxreform. You can also tag your legislators in tweets. For tips on how to use twitter to get your message out, check out this short tutorial.

4) After the address, follow up!

Governor Bevin’s State of the Commonwealth and Budget Address lay out his starting points, but it’s the Legislature that moves the bills through. That means it’s important to tell legislators that it’s time for them to step up.

Contact your legislators by calling, emailing, or joining KFTC to lobby in Frankfort. Find out how to do all three here.
Writing letters to the editor helps bring our message to a larger audience and uplifts our vision in these important conversations. Here’s a link with several papers’ submission pages.

Issue Area(s):

Economic Justice

Tags:

General Assembly

Want some help talking about taxes and the budget?

We don’t want to all say the same thing, but we do want to echo and stand with each other. This simple framework is one way to do that. You can use it for any of our issues, such as tax reform.

Who you are and what you want to see for Kentucky

"I’m another Kentuckian for tax reforms that raise revenue and let everyone pay their fair share toward making Kentucky a great place to live and work for everyone."

What’s in the way of making your vision a reality

"Our current tax structure is inadequate. Since 2008, state lawmakers have made 15 rounds of painful cuts to the budget, totaling $1.7 billion."

Good solutions and action.

"Good tax reforms must raise revenue, be fair to working families, and allow investment in our future. The Kentucky Forward bill would do all those things, and it’s time that lawmakers move ahead on this issue."

Here are some additional talking points about Kentucky's budget courtesy of our friends at the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy.

Since 2008, Kentucky has deeply reduced funding for vital services through 15 rounds of budget cuts totaling $1.7 billion.
The state ranks 10th worst in the country when it comes to K-12 funding cuts since the recession started in 2008—with a decline of 12.1 percent per student in inflation-adjusted terms—according to a report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
The Kentucky’s share of funding for postsecondary education declined from 67 percent in 1999 to only 36 percent in 2015. Tuition and fee increases at state universities over that time period ranged from 206 percent (Murray State University) to 286 percent (Western Kentucky University) and 203 percent at community and technical colleges.
More than 13,000 people are on waiting lists at the Department for Aging and Independent Living for meals, transportation, home-based based services and caregiver services—and some have been waiting as long as five years.
Budget cuts have contributed to a backlog of untested rape kits in Kentucky’s state and local law enforcement offices.

And the list goes on. We need to pay attention and speak up.

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Watch the State of the Commonwealth address

Take Action!

Want some help talking about taxes and the budget?