In The Spotlight:

Conserve Kentucky Initiative

Featured Legislator
Hon. Robin L Williams
Representative 96th District

2008 Legislative Report

Meet our Legislative Liaison
Bruce Williams

Legislative Updates from
Our Team In Frankfort

Legislation

The Kentucky General Assembly meets annually in “Regular” sessions that begin the first week of January. Its sessions extend to the end of March in even-numbered years, when it must develop a Biennial (two-year) Budget. In odd-numbered years, sessions are shorter. Between sessions, the Governor may call the General Assembly into “Special” sessions on issues he identifies.

How we track the Kentucky General Assembly

During sessions of the Kentucky General Assembly, KCC tracks legislation that falls within our mission and considers what KCC’s position on them should be. Bills that are central to our mission are prioritized for advocacy by our members and our lobbyist in a biweekly publication, The Alert. At the end of the session, we post the final outcomes of the legislation we track in The Guardian.

During Regular Sessions, you can read the most recent issue of The Alert here.
The 2008 issue of the The Guardian that sums up this year’s session is here.
To receive them “hot off the press” by mail or email, Join KCC!

You can track legislation yourself using the web pages of the Legislative Research Commission. You can browse the final “Bill Status Information” of the 2008 Regular Session here. Note: Internet Explorer works best.

Who represents me?

There are two “Houses” of the General Assembly: the Senate, which has 38 members elected to six-year terms, and the House of Representatives, which has 100 members elected to two-year terms. Every Kentuckian is represented by a Representative and a Senator.

To find out who your State Senator and State Representative are, go to http://vote-smart.org.
To learn more about your Senator or Representative, go here.

Contacting Legislators

Legislators are “people persons” and want to hear from their constituents, so don’t be bashful. There are several options, depending on the urgency and your comfort level.

Leave a message: 1-800-372-7181. This is painless and effective. Operators accept a message that you dictate, no questions asked, from 7 am to 11 pm ET Monday to Thursday, and 7 am to 6 pm ET Friday, during sessions. You can leave a message for only one legislator, a list of legislators, all members of a committee you name, or all members of the House and/or Senate.
Send a fax: 1-502-564-6543. You can address single or multiple legislators, like the message line.
Send postal mail to a legislator to the Capital Annex, Frankfort, KY 40601.
Send email to a legislator using email addresses you can find here. NOTE: the legislators’ email system is clunky, and this is the least effective form of communication.
Call direct: 1-502-564-8100. Legislators are very busy during sessions, but many will try to take time to talk to a constituent.

What do I say?

A message can be as simple as, “Please oppose House Bill 999.” Adding a comment about how the bill would affect you, personally, can be very effective. You don’t have to be an expert.

If you are sending a fax, letter, or email, use your name, address, and phone number so the legislator will know if you are a constituent, and in case he or she wants more information. (The message line will ask for these things automatically).

If you talk to your legislator directly, you might open with, “Hello, Ms. Brown. I live on Elm Street in Bellwood. I’m curious about your position on HB 999.” After the reply, you can share your views. Be polite and don’t argue; knowing that you took the trouble to call is persuasive, and your legislator hears from many constituents who may have very different views.