KFTC Blog

The fourth annual Growing Appalachia conference, an event hosted by the Floyd County chapter of Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, was a great success. Nearly 120 people turned out on March 9, 2013 for the day of workshops about ways to earn and save money through small-scale agriculture, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. Many who attended learned about the event through local media and publicity. Evaluations of the day expressed hope, enthusiasm, and gratitude about the day.

“Twelve months ago, if I heard the name ‘KFTC’ I’d probably move fast in the other direction,” said one participant. “But I’m amazed to learn more about the organization and all the different work you are doing.”

With just four working days left for the Kentucky General Assembly, our actions may influence the important final outcome for two bills.

Voting Rights

Our democracy could be strengthened if Senate leaders would allow House Bill 70 to have a hearing and vote. This legislation would place on the statewide ballot a constitutional amendment to allow automatic restoration of voting rights once a person has completed their sentence for most felony convictions, as happens in most other states. HB 70 passed the House, 75-25, nearly three weeks ago but is stuck in the Senate State and Local Government Committee. Help us make one more push to get Senate leaders to open the door to voting for nearly a quarter of a million Kentuckians.

ACTION: Please call the Legislative Message Line, 1-800-372-7181, and leave a message for your own senator plus "Senate leadership" and "Senate State and Local Government Committee members." A good, simple message is "Please allow a hearing and vote on House Bill 70." The line is open 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. EDT. If you have already contacted your senator on this issue, please do so again.

Civil Rights

Helpful information

You can follow KFTC's bills on our bill tracker page.

Legislative Message Line
1-800-372-7181

Legislator's Office Direct
502-564-8100

TTY Message Line
1-800-896-0305

En Español
1-866-840-6574

Make a donation to KFTC to support our work in the General Assembly

A bill that allows any individual to “act or refuse to act on religious grounds” has passed the House and Senate and been to delivered to Gov. Steve Beshear. House Bill 279 is written so broadly that it could be used to subvert existing civil rights laws in Kentucky that protect individuals from discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations.

HB 279 has the potential to “make it harder to pursue criminal prosecutions and civil remedies in everything from child abuse to housing discrimination,” according to a Lexington Herald-Leader editorial, and is “a slippery slope when the state authorizes people to disregard laws,” wrote The Courier-Journal editors.

ACTION: Join the Fairness Campaign, ACLU, Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, KFTC and other groups in asking Gov. Beshear to “Please veto House Bill 279.” You can do so by leaving him a message at 502-564-2611 or by using his online form at: http://governor.ky.gov/Pages/contact.aspx.

Thanks for taking one or both of these actions.
Please do so on Monday starting at 7 a.m.

On Monday, members of the Growing Appalachia planning committee appeared on WMMT's Mountain Talk- a weekly program that covers a wide range of topics pertaining to life in the mountains. Knott County member Fern Nafziger and Rowan County member Cody Montgomery appeared as in-studio guests on the show hosted by Sylvia Ryerson and Mimi Pickering. The show also featured call-in guests Paul Wiedeger of Au Naturel Farms and Will Bowling from Old Homeplace Farm both of which are presenters at Growing Appalachia this Saturday. The guests gave listeners a preview of the workshops they can attend on Saturday and had a great discussion about local food systems, season extension, foraging and more. You can listen to the podcast by visiting WMMT's website.

Growing Appalachia is an event sponsored by the Floyd County chapter and offers a day of free workshops around do-it-yourself energy efficiency, small-scale farming, beginning organic gardening and food preservation. Join us this Saturday, March 9th at the Jenny Wiley Convention Center in Prestonsburg. Lunch will be offered and is locally sourced. You can register for Growing Appalachia by going to kftc.org/growing. You can also join the conversation on Facebook. You don't want to miss this!

Despite snowy weather, about 260 people raised their voices for voting rights at a rally and lobby day Wednesday at the state capitol in Frankfort.

Several former felons took the podium to share their stories and urge passage of House Bill 70, which would restore voting rights to most former felons once they’ve served their debt to society. Kentucky is one of the most restrictive states, requiring former felons to obtain an individual pardon from the governor in order to regain their right to vote.

Aileen Bryant of Louisville recalled that at one time she was told she’d never amount to anything. “Today I am somebody,” she said. She urged those gathered to talk to their legislators about House Bill 70. “We need to let them know we deserve that right. Don’t give up.”

Michael Hiser of Bullitt County said he has obtained his bachelor’s degree and is working on a master’s degree since serving his time. He has regained custody of his children and paid $15,000 in back taxes. But he still can’t vote.

Ed West, another former felon, said it feels good to be a citizen again, even paying taxes. “It feels good to be responsible and be able to pay a debt.” But gaining voting rights for former felons will take a powerful movement. “We need to continue to voice such powerful voices.”

KFTC member Tayna Fogle, who emceed the rally, said she wants to set an example for her two children and seven grandchildren. “I want them to be able to believe in this democracy.”

For each of the past several years, including this year, the bill has passed the Kentucky House by a comfortable margin before stalling in the Senate. Today citizen lobbyists focused on talking with senators and urging them to support the bill.

They visited with dozens of lawmakers and left hundreds of postcards for Senate President Robert Stivers.