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A Catholic priest’s list of legislation – from 1909
Berry Craig recently did a story about reviving the Social Gospel in Frankfort, specifically in our legislature. In that story was a list of reforms laid out by a Catholic priest over a century ago. As we fight, once again, against the robber barons of our time, the list still seems timely and needed.
Let’s bring the gospel back to Frankfort – the Social Gospel
You can’t make this stuff up. Republican lawmakers in the mega-majority GOP General Assembly are pushing a pair of bills that hearken to the days of the Robber Barons. HB 500 would yank away workers’ rights to meal and rest breaks on the job and trim their pay, to boot. HB 255 would weaken state child labor law. Both measures are sponsored by Rep. Phillip Pratt (R-Georgetown).
Labor report card is out. How did our electeds do?
“Elections have consequences,” former Kentucky State AFL-CIO President Bill Londrigan is ever-reminding Kentucky union members from Jordan to Jenkins. On Thursday, the national AFL-CIO provided proof that Londrigan is right. The country’s largest labor organization unveiled its 2023 Legislative Scorecard. “This voting record lets you know where your...
Team of Rivals versus Team of Toadies
That recent survey in which scholars ranked Abraham Lincoln our greatest president caused me to start rereading Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin in 2005, the book is about the way the Kentucky-born 16th president chose political foes for his cabinet and molded them into “truly a team of rivals” that “helped him steer the country through its darkest days.”
Kentucky’s sledgehammer to higher education: An SB 6 deep-dive
The Kentucky Senate passed SB 6, an Anti-DEI (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion) bill aimed at higher education; it now faces House consideration. If it passes, Kentucky will join the Anti-Intellectual Club, along with Tennessee, South Dakota, Florida, Texas, and Alabama. Although bill sponsor, Senator Mike Wilson, states the goal as...
IVF, authoritarians, and Christian Nationalism
Do you ever wonder if there is a coherent set of ideas, an ideology, that guides the behavior of the right-wing Trump party (formerly known as Republican)?. It might be hard to see, since Donald Trump’s stream-of-consciousness talks touch on many topics – most of them focused on the ideas and people he wants to attack with anger on that particular day.
The Wrap for Thursday, 2/29
Editor’s note: This post is an experiment. It is a prototype of an article-plus-newsletter that I am considering adding to the site: a mostly-daily wrap-up of political and governance news across Kentucky. It will also include, at the end, a list of everything else published on Forward Kentucky that day.
Kentucky kids deserve better than being exploited like it’s 1899
When I was 16, I nearly sliced two fingers off my left hand while working at a plastics factory. A tenacious strip of tissue and pins inserted through my fingertips gave me a second chance. I thought of my near amputation last week as the state House passed House Bill...
‘This year’s anti-drag bill’ on its way to full Senate
A Senate committee on Thursday approved new restrictions on “adult-oriented businesses” that opponents describe as “this year’s anti-drag bill.”. Sen. Lindsey Tichenor (R-Smithfield) filed Senate Bill 147 in late January, saying it was “not intended to impede on any First Amendment rights of free speech, nor to impose limitations on reasonable access to the intended adult market.”
Beshear says he will not run for McConnell’s Senate seat
When asked by reporters on Wednesday about potentially running for McConnell’s senate seat in the future, Kentucky’s Democrat Governor Andy Beshear responded with a definitive, “No.”. “I promised to serve out my term as governor and I’m gonna do that. As governor, you’re not one of 50,...
Thayer seeks to end Kentucky’s limits on political giving, require more frequent reporting instead
Senate Republican Floor Leader Damon Thayer is seeking to eliminate state limits on donations to political campaigns and committees while increasing the frequency of campaign finance reports to every two weeks. Thayer, of Georgetown, told the Kentucky Lantern after filing Senate Bill 100 that he is “making a few statements...
The Wrap for Wednesday, 2/28
Editor’s note: This post is an experiment. It is a prototype of an article-plus-newsletter that I am considering adding to the site: a mostly-daily wrap-up of political and governance news across Kentucky. It will also include, at the end, a list of everything else published on Forward Kentucky that day.
Bruce’s Take: The MAGA Shutdown
We're two days away from a partial federal government shutdown. Who's causing this, and what are the consequences?. Bruce Maples has been involved in politics and activism since 2004, when he became active in the Kerry Kentucky movement. (Read the rest of his bio on the Bruce Maples Bio page in the bottom nav bar.)
Louisville Democrat files bill to protect assisted reproduction, IVF in Kentucky
A Louisville Democrat filed a bill Tuesday aimed at “safeguarding” access to in vitro fertilization in Kentucky. Senate Bill 301, sponsored by Sen. Cassie Chambers Armstrong, D-Louisville, would protect from criminal liability medical providers who “engaged in assisted reproduction who meet the professional standard of care,” according to a copy provided to the Lantern. The bill is not yet available online.
Bill to grant child support payments for pregnancy advances — but with a major change
The Kentucky Senate is moving forward with a bill that would apply child support payments to pregnancy, although the latest version of the proposal assuages some legal concerns raised by abortion rights advocates. Senate Bill 110 originally would have allowed a mother to seek child support beginning at any time...
Committee-approved bill would remove requirement Kentucky employers give lunch breaks, rest periods
Employers in Kentucky would no longer be required to give employees a “reasonable” amount of time for lunch or rest breaks under a committee-approved bill passed Wednesday by Republicans. HB 500, sponsored by Phillip Pratt (R-Georgetown) would repeal state statutes that require lunch breaks between three to five...
McConnell will step down as the Senate Republican leader in November
Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader in history who maintained his power in the face of dramatic convulsions in the Republican Party for almost two decades, will step down from that position in November. McConnell, who turned 82 last week, was set to announce his decision Wednesday in the well...
Here’s what hurts the most
On Feb. 9, Sen. Matthew Deneen (R-Hardin) sent out a press release that began, “It’s an unfortunate time here in the commonwealth as we must address a pressing issue, and that is gun violence …”. Yes! I wanted to scream. Finally!. But Deneen was not talking about...
The Wrap for Tuesday, 2/27
Editor’s note: This post is an experiment. It is a prototype of an article-plus-newsletter that I am considering adding to the site: a mostly-daily wrap-up of political and governance news across Kentucky. It will also include, at the end, a list of everything else published on Forward Kentucky that day.
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