A new report from KFTC describes ways Kentuckians are organizing to demand action from Congress – and especially from Senator Mitch McConnell – in support of a Just Transition for miners with black lung disease, retired and laid off miners, and their communities.
To build a new economy in coal communities, the report says Congress should start by "fixing what's broke," including strengthening funding for the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund, passing the RECLAIM Act, and protecting miners' pensions.
As a student, it is my belief that students should feel safe, protected, and free at school. However, arming teachers may not make students feel safe, it could in fact do the opposite.
Senator Mitch McConnell is in a position to direct more than $100 million to economic and community development projects in communities hardest hit by the decline in coal mining.
Kentuckians held an action outside his Lexington office today asking him to waste no more time in doing that.
“The time is now to pass the RECLAIM Act,” said Lyndsay Tarus, the Economic Transition Coordinator for the Alliance for Appalachia. “This is a jobs bill. The Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement has estimated that 4,600 jobs could be generated through the RECLAIM Act across the country.
In a historic win for Fairness in western Kentucky, Paducah has become the ninth city in Kentucky to adopt an anti-discrimination ordinance that protects LGBTQ+ people.
On January 9, more than 250 people packed the Paducah City Hall chambers, about two-thirds of the crowd showing support. After lengthy public testimony and debate, the measure passed by a 4 to 1 vote.
The ordinance prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. An amendment to include exemptions for religious business owners failed by a similar 4 to 1 vote. Such an exemption exists in state law, however.
Late last year members of Kentuckians For The Commonwealth and allies began to notice an increased presence of organizations working to pass a call for a constitutional convention in Kentucky. We began to work closely with allies to learn more about the issue, and came out in force to help make sure that the proposed 'con con' didn't receive a vote in the last General Assembly.
