Catholic Conference Priority Legislation 2005

Catholic Conference Priority Legislation 2005

March 5, 2005 - The 2005 session of the General Assembly is nearly over with only 3 days left. The language of HB 405 has been added to a Senate bill in the House: SB 189. In its original form this bill provides for care for diabetic and epileptic children in school. Now, it also provides for dealing with bullying. Senate leaders have indicated they will refuse to hear the bill if it is returned to their chambers. Please call 1-800-372-7181 and leave the message found on our Homepage. Click on the Home button above to view the message.

Upholding Human Dignity

HB 405 sponsored by Rep. Mike Cherry requires school districts to have procedures in place to address student harassment, intimidation, and bullying. In addition to other provisions, it will also require school districts to formulate a code of acceptable behavior prohibiting student harassment, intimidation, or bullying that includes procedures for reporting and investigating complaints, a strategy for protecting complainants from retaliation, and a process for annually discussing the code with students.

CCK is part of the Anti-Bullying Alliance: Keeping Kentucky's Kids Safe. The Alliance prepared an informational flier for distribution to legislators when you contact them. Click here to see the PDF file. Here is additional information regarding Why Kentucky Law Should Bullying Prevention.

Bullying behavior in schools is a pervasive problem that violates the human dignity of the person who is the target of bullying, greatly impedes a student's right to an education, and has long term effects on the lives of those harmed by this behavior. CCK strongly supports HB 405 and urges you to act now to get this legislation to Governor Fletcher's desk for his signature.

HB 405 has now passed the House and has arrived in the Senate. The following urgent action is needed to help pass this bill.

Action: Call 1-800-372-7181 and leave the following messages: (you can leave all your messages during the same phone call)

	For SENATORS DAVID WILLIAMS, DAN KELLY, KATIE STINE, RICHIE SANDERS, AND DAN SEUM - please give HB 405 an early 1st and 2nd reading to speed up the passage of this important legislation. HB 405 helps keep children safe and urges respect for one another and for the dignity of each human being. Time is short, but you have the power to make this happen.
	For YOUR SENATOR, leave the following message:

Dear Senator:

I am calling about the Anti-Bullying Bill. As a member of the Senate you are in a unique position to make our schools safer and preserve the human dignity of students. Please talk to your leadership and urge that HB 405 - a bill that addresses the tragic reality of bullying in Kentucky's schools - be sent to the Senate floor while there is time to pass it and send it to Governor Fletcher.

I urge you to vote YES for HB 405 at every opportunity you have to do so. Vote YES only on amendments approved by the sponsor or those helping the sponsor.

This legislation has the support of the Catholic Conference of Ky., the Ky. Department of Education, the Ky. Center for Safe Schools, the Kentucky School Boards Association, teachers throughout the state, and most importantly parents, especially those whose children are targets of bullies.

Please don't let time run out on our children.

The following legislation will not be acted on in this session. CCK considered these legislative efforts at our highest priority. The issues they represent will be back in 2006. We certainly appreciate the help readers of this page have given to these important matters related to human life and dignity.

Protecting Human Life

HB 376 and HB 386: CCK is supporting two bills related to research and stem cells. HB 376 sponsored by Rep. Jim Wayne and HB 386 sponsored by Rep. Keith Hall and several co-sponsors: A. Wuchner, R. Damron, D. Floyd, M. Harmon, M. Harper, C. Meade, R. Nelson, T. Riner, T. Thompson.

HB 376 would allow a donor of money to be used for adult stem cell research to receive a tax credit. The United States Bishops are urging greater attention be paid to this promising field of research because it produces results and leads to the discovery of effective treatments of disease. In addition, since embryonic human life is not involved, this method of research meet the moral criteria demanded by respect for human life and dignity. This bill is in the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee and has NOT been posted for passage.

Action: Call 1-800-372-7181 and leave a message for Chairman Harry Moberly to post the bill and give it a hearing in his committee. In addition, leave a message for your member of the House of Representatives and ask him/her to support this legislation. If your State Representative is on the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee add this to your message: please ask Mr. Moberly to give HB 376 a hearing and I urge you to support HB 376.(Appropriations and Revenue (H) Rep. Harry Moberly (D), Chair Rep. John Arnold (D), Vice Chair Rep. Bob DeWeese (R), Vice Chair Rep. Joni Jenkins (D), Vice Chair Rep. Fred Nesler (D), Vice Chair Rep. Charles Siler (R), Vice Chair Rep. Arnold Simpson (D), Vice Chair Rep. Robin Webb (D), Vice Chair Rep. Royce Adams (D) Rep. Joe Barrows (D) Rep. Scott Brinkman (R) Rep. Dwight Butler (R) Rep. Larry Clark (D) Rep. James Comer (R) Rep. Jesse Crenshaw (D) Rep. Jon Draud (R) Rep. Danny Ford (R) Rep. Keith Hall (D) Rep. Jimmie Lee (D) Rep. Mary Lou Marzian (D) Rep. Lonnie Napier (R) Rep. Stephen Nunn (R) Rep. Don Pasley (D) Rep. Marie Rader (R) Rep. John Will Stacy (D) Rep. Tommy Turner (R) Rep. John Vincent (R) Rep. Jim Wayne (D) Rep. Rob Wilkey (D))

HB 386 protects embryonic human life by forbidding research that would destroy human life at its earliest stage. This bill replaces HB 279 which has been withdrawn. We fully expect HB 386 to be sent to the House Judiciary Committee. If it is sent to another committee, then an action other than the following will be announced.

Action: Call 1-800-372-7181 and leave a message for Chairman Gross Lindsay to post the bill and give it a hearing in his committee. In addition, leave a message for your member of the House of Representatives and ask him/her to support this legislation. If your State Representative is on the House Judiciary Committee add this to you message: please ask Mr. Lindsay to give HB 386 a hearing and I urge you to support HB 386. (Judiciary (H) Rep. Gross Lindsay (D), Chair Rep. Darryl Owens (D), Vice Chair Rep. John Vincent (R), Vice Chair Rep. Rob Wilkey (D), Vice Chair Rep. Brent Yonts (D), Vice Chair Rep. Kevin Bratcher (R) Rep. Perry Clark (D) Rep. Jesse Crenshaw (D) Rep. Tim Feeley (R) Rep. Joseph Fischer (R) Rep. Jeffrey Hoover (R) Rep. Stan Lee (R) Rep. Frank Rasche (D) Rep. Steven Rudy (R) Rep. Arnold Simpson (D) Rep. Kathy Stein (D) Rep. Robin L. Webb (D))

Click here to read more about stem cell research and see a PDF flier you can use when speaking to or writing your State Representative or Senator.

Fair and Just Taxation

A fair and just tax system is essential for Kentucky and Representative Jim Wayne has sponsored HB 276, related to corporate income taxes, and HB 277, related to individual income taxes. State Representatives M. Marzian, R. Adams, T. Burch, J. Crenshaw, W. Hall, C. Hoffman, J. Jenkins, R. Meeks, R. Nelson, D. Owens, K. Stein, B. Yonts have co-sponsored HB 276 and HB 277.

Both HB 276 and HB 277 are faithful to the tax principles adopted by Kentucky's bishops and CCK is supporting these measures.

HB 276 and HB 277 reform the current tax structure in Kentucky. HB 276 relates to corporation taxes and removes exemptions and closes loopholes in the current law. HB 277 changes the law so that the poorest of Kentucky's citizens pay no taxes.

Both measures have been assigned to the House Appropriations and Revenue Committee chaired by Rep. Harry Moberly.

HB 276 and HB 277 represent the type of legislation supported in the 1991 pastoral statement, Putting Children and Families First, in which the U. S. bishops asserted: "We welcome proposals to reform the tax code to help families cope with the high cost of raising children. These proposals, which have drawn bipartisan support, would allow middle income families with children to keep more of what they earn and would help lift low income families out of poverty.... We continue to support an expanded earned income tax credit to assist poor, working families. This pro-work, pro-family provision needs to be enhanced and supported as an important contribution to tax fairness."

ACTION: Call 1-800-372-7181 and urge your State Representative to support HB 276 and HB 277 and to reject any tax proposals that are unfair to the poor and that do not require everyone to do their fair share, including corporations.

The Catholic Conference of Kentucky testified before the House A&R Committee on February 10, 2005 and supported HB 276 and HB 277. Click here to read the testimony.

Protecting Innocent Human Life

HB 242 sponsored by Robin Webb and co-sponsored by L. Napier, S. Baugh, Dw. Butler, P. Clark, D. Graham, C. Hoffman, D. Horlander, M. Marzian, R. Meeks, D. Owens, A. Smith, K. Stein, J. Vincent, J. Wayne requires that all criminal homicide interrogations be recorded.

The purpose of this legislation is to protect innocent human life, increase the chances of punishing the truly guilty, and instilling credibility in our criminal justice system. Studies indicate that electronic recording of interrogations benefit everyone in the justice system.

Click here to read and download a PDF flier to use when contacting your State Representative.

HB 242 passed out of the House Committee, but is recommitted to House Appropriations and Revenue. This is a way of killing the bill. There is no chance it will be brought back to the House Floor this session. We will support this legislation in 2006.

Catholic Conference of Kentucky

1042 Burlington Lane

Frankfort, Kentucky 40601

502-875-4345 502-875-2841 Fax cckstaffATccky.org

Last modified: April, 2008