40 Years

See this brief reminder from The Family Foundation:

Today, we recognize the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. On this day in 1973, nine unelected judges made the decision that an unborn child did not have the same constitutional right as a child that is born alive. According to section 1 of the 14th Amendment, no state shall “deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Since 1973, over 55 million children have been denied life and protection.

Call Representatives John Tilley (D, Hopkinsville, Martha Jane King (D, Todd & Logan Counties), and Brent Yonts (D, Greenville), all Majority Party members of the House who cover parts of my 3rd Senate District, to insist that the Kentucky House hold a vote on pro-life legislation this year. Call any legislator at 800-372-7181 to leave a message.

40 years is 40 years too many.

A Matter Of Timing

During Sanctity of Human Life Sunday on January 20th, the guest pastor at our church in Hopkinsville made a statement that was as stunning as it was obvious. But in all the time I've talked or campaigned about ending abortion, the idea had never been stated so simply as it was today. In the wake of the Newtown Connecticut shooting, the entire nation has been arguing over gun rights. One side vehemently claims there should be enhanced restrictions on gun ownership. The other side, equally inflamed, claims the Second Amendment "shall not be abridged." There has been no shortage of argument, political posturing, media spin and policy wielding over this dichotomy.

And yet, amongst the rancor, you'll find no one on any side who believes the murder of those children was good, or even remotely desirable.

A few years earlier and the murder of those children would've been protected by law. The intentional termination of those lives would have been protected as the mother's right to choose.

I pray that our Nation turns from this wickedness, and soon.

A Right To Life

Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is tomorrow, January 20th. Pro-Life legislation keeps dying in the Kentucky House of Representatives. I urge everyone reading this to call your Representatives (or all of them) to use their position and pull to make certain Pro-Life legislation has a vote on the House floor (where it would likely pass). Unfortunately, such bills have been killed in committee for several consecutive years. Ask the Representatives to file a discharge petition if necessary to get the bills out of committee and on the House floor.

If you live in Christian, Todd or Logan County you should call Martha Jane King, Brent Yonts and John Tilley, who are the majority-party representatives who cover the 3rd District. URGE them to use their pull to get those bills a VOTE ON THE HOUSE FLOOR!! All three have publicly declared a pro-life position.

Call the legislator message line at 1-800-372-7181.

Too little has been done for too long to protect the lives of Kentucky's unborn children. Tell them you've had enough.

The Lacy Ledger

I had the opportunity to be interviewed by a young lady, and fellow Lacy Wildcat, this morning for a column in the Lacy Ledger, a publication put together by the students of Lacy School in a partnership with the Kentucky New Era.

Ms. Emily had some fantastic questions about the legislative process, my legislative priorities, what politician I'd most like to meet and what my political ambitions are. She was clearly prepared!

Thank you, Emily, and Lacy School, for the chance to talk about this great job I'm blessed to have!

Week 1

FRANKFORT – As I write to you, I am wrapping up the first week of the 2013 General Assembly Session, 26 more days to go. Now, since this is a “short” session, when we adjourn Friday, we will not meet again until February 5^th. The time is used to get new members, committee chairman, and newly-elected Leadership acclimated and everyone back up to speed.

The Senate President announced Senate Bill 1 which is aimed to making it easier for deployed military to vote. It has not been filed yet since staff is working to ensure that the process for this is as secure as possible. I want to do whatever I can to protect the right to vote of our troops abroad but I also want to ensure that the mechanism is as confidential as it should be. I will be the primary co-sponsor of this bill.

I myself filed Senate Bill 47, my first bill, that allows for law-enforcement to collect a DNA sample upon a felony arrest. The current law already requires a DNA sample be taken upon a felony conviction, but this new bill would assist in resolving unsolved crimes. Individuals who are arrested, and from whom a sample is taken, may petition that the DNA record be removed should the underlying offense be dismissed or result in an acquittal. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) passed a bill in the Senate, on January 1, known as Katie's Law, providing for funding for the implementation of bills like mine.

As chairman of the Judiciary Committee, I have already been involved in various meetings with my staff as well as experts on the Legislative Research Committee. I have also been studying various issues that will be coming up including adjustments to HB1 (the "pill mill bill"), Human Trafficking and synthetic drugs to name a few.

I want to keep you as informed as possible. Your input is not only valued and appreciated, it’s genuinely needed.  I encourage you to follow the issues and always welcome your comments and questions.  There are many ways you can stay in touch with the General Assembly.

The Kentucky Legislature Home Page, www.lrc.ky.gov, provides information on each of the Commonwealth’s senators and representatives, including our phone numbers, addressees, and committee assignments.  The site also provides a bill tracking service, and committee meeting schedules.

By going to our eNews page, www.lrc.ky.gov/pubinfo/listserv.htm, you can subscribe to frequent e-mail updates on what’s happening at the Capitol.  In addition, the General Assembly has its own blog, Capitol Notes, www.lrc.ky.gov/pubinfo/capitol_notes.htm, that will allow you to receive legislative updates at your leisure.

You can also follow legislative action in the following ways:

• A taped message containing information on legislative committee meetings is updated daily at 1-800-633-9650.
• To check the status of a bill, you may call the toll-free Bill Status Line at 1-866-840-2835.
• To leave a message for any legislator, call the General Assembly’s toll-free Message Line at 1-800-372-7181.  People with hearing difficulties may leave messages for lawmakers by calling the TTY Message Line at 1-800-896-0305.
• You may write me by sending a letter to: Capitol Annex, 702 Capitol Avenue, Suite 214, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601.