Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Own an iPhone?

Then you can have easier access to the Kentucky General Assembly. See below.

LRC makes legislative info iPhone-friendly

FRANKFORT – Kentuckians with iPhones will now find it easier than ever to remain connected to the Kentucky State Capitol.

The Legislative Research Commission (LRC) has unveiled an iPhone-friendly way for people to have ready access to information about lawmakers, legislation moving through the General Assembly and legislative news. With one touch on their home screen, iPhone users can pull up key features of the Kentucky Legislature Home Page that have been formatted specifically for their phones.

“We’re always looking for ways to keep people connected to the Kentucky General Assembly,” said LRC Director Robert Sherman. “This is another way for citizens to have easy access to up-to-date information about the Legislature whenever they want. The better-connected people are to the State Capitol, the more likely they are to provide the informed feedback that lawmakers depend on to serve our state.”

To begin using the new feature with an iPhone, go online to www.lrc.ky.gov/isite/index.html. Click on the “+” sign at the bottom of your iPhone’s home screen and choose “Add to home screen.” The LRC seal that will appear on your home screen will allow you to instantly connect to a wealth of legislative information, including the General Assembly’s daily calendar.

Users of the LRC’s iPhone feature can use it to connect to all the resources available on the Kentucky Legislature Home Page. The Web site is updated daily to indicate each bill’s status in the legislative process and how each lawmaker voted on legislation. Bill summaries, amendments and resolutions and also available on the site.

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HB 1

HB 1 passed the House today 97-0. It now goes on to the Senate for action.

Have my first committee meeting tomorrow (Local Government) where we will pass out bills.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

HB 176

HB 176 will be voted on Monday. It will be the first bill voted on this session.


The purpose of the bill is to make Kentucky eligible to apply for "Race to the Top" funds from the federal government. I just finished reading it. It is an improvement over what we have now, allowing for the takeover for low-performing schools.

However, it could be much better. We could have charter schools, or even vouchers. It as if we are trying to do the absolute minimum to be eligible. I believe the federal government is looking for states to be bold and allow for new ideas. This bill does not do that.

There are 3 good amendments filed by my fellow House Republican members. I plan to vote for them all. I'll vote for the bill in the end, but it will be a missed opportunity.

Friday, January 8, 2010

First week of the 2010 session

The first is always slow. It takes time to get all the bills introduced, Assigned to committees, onto the orders of the day and voted on. We did get 2 bills on the orders of the day. HB 1 and HB 176. HB 176 will be voted on Monday, HB 1 will be voted on Tuesday. This is my 4th regular session, and this is as fast as we have moved in my 4 years. Glad to see the wheels turning quickly.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

The show starts today

I am in Frankfort and the 2010 regular session starts at noon today. You can watch all proceedings at www.ket.org.

Will update tonight on anything interesting.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

2010 Legislative Session

The 2010 Legislative Session convenes this Tuesday at noon. As everyone knows, the budget will be the issue that casts a shadow over all others.

If you are interested in learning about the issues, several newspapers have stories in today's paper detailing what is ahead.

For an in-depth look, I recommend the Courier-Journal's site.

For a briefer look, go to nky.com or kentucky.com (Herald Leader site).

I will start posting regularly (I swear) through the end of the session.