Greetings!
We
are looking forward to the 12pm/EST NASW-KY Legislative and Advocacy
Discussion Group tomorrow, 2/2/24. Much to chat about, so please bring
any "naughty and/or nice" bills you want to share as we quickly build
the list as the flurry of new bills are filed and we try and play catch
up with the first 500+.
The
Social Work Interstate Compact passed unanimously in the House
yesterday! We promise to keep everyone posted when it heads to the
Senate. This is a huge accomplishment and one we are excited to see
pass through both houses so we can join the list of states passing this
important legislation. Please reach out with gratitude to Reps. Ken
Fleming and Lisa Willner who carried this compact throughout the interim
and were totally committed to making this happen for social workers!
KENTUCKY
PROUD of Rep. Lindsey Burke, MSW, JD, who bravely shared her story
during her press conference yesterday of prenatal loss, grief, and how
she is working to ensure reproductive healthcare rights are restored in
Kentucky. If you haven't had the chance to meet Rep. Burke, please reach
out to her in solidarity as she is a remarkable and inspiring woman who
is courageously advocating to repeal the total abortion ban in KY,
protect health information, and support post -partum mental health.
Rep. Burke has filed three bills that we will be following closely and
supporting. PS...we need more social workers to join Rep. Burke in the
legislature! 🙂
| HB 428*
|
AN ACT relating to reproductive privacy.
|
| HB 429*
|
AN ACT relating to reproductive health care.
|
| HB 430*
|
AN ACT relating to the Health Access Nurturing Development Services Program.
|
We
will be talking tomorrow about HB9 and SB6 - the anti-DEI bills and the
strategy we will be using to respond to the legislators in both the
House and Senate. We are hearing that there will be some form of
anti-DEI bill passed because it is an election year....which is why some
of these horrible bills will gain traction quickly so candidates can
use them in their campaigns.
We
sincerely encourage you to join the League of Women Voters in KY. This
group is hitting the lack of transparency head on and can use all of
our support and voices:
We
love the collaborations with other associations, agencies, and
non-profits and are sharing as much as we can on our NASW-KY Facebook
page. This is the best social media reach for us, so please check it
out daily as we will update bills and posts there. Here is some great
info from our friends with HHCK:
At HHCK we're closely watching several bills and need your help to make sure our neighbor's needs are heard and prioritized. First up → HB 5 : this bill, as it stands now, will criminalize homelessness and harm Kentuckians -- NOT make Kentucky safer. TAKE ACTION: Send your senator an email here or call 800-372-7181 and ask your senator to vote NO on HB 5.
**We
will not be taping the L&A calls because we want this to be a time
where people can share thoughts openly about the bills. We will do our
best to keep everyone updated in between, but encourage you to keep up
to date with the NASW-KY FB page.
DON'T
FORGET ABOUT SOCIAL WORK LOBBY DAY ON 3/5/24! The SW Lobby Day
Tool-Kit will be available by the end of next week and we will email it
to everyone!
As
always, please share this information with co-workers and students.
Gratitude to each of you for all you do for our profession and our
people!
Best,
Brenda Rosen
Greetings!
Just
a quick email to update everyone on the next NASW-KY Legislative and
Advocacy Discussion group which will meet this Friday, February 2, 2024
from 12p-1pm/EST on the zoom link below. We will meet on 2/9 and 2/16
at the same time and same zoom link.
The
2024 legislative session is proving to be an incredibly difficult one,
so we will need to be very engaged in calls, emails, and meeting with
legislators. I am sharing some information and will continue to update
on our NASW Kentucky Facebook page and during the L&A calls. While
there are some good bills we hope will move forward, we need to be extra
vigilant regarding the anti-DEI HB9 and SB6 and HB 5 Safety Act:
HB9: https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/24rs/hb9.html
More on HB5: https://www.facebook.com/KyPolicy
We
will be providing updated information and links/resources throughout
February and into March. Please remember to schedule visits with your
legislators for SW Lobby Day on March 5, 2024, but if you can meet with
some in person or virtually before then, we need all of the social work
voices we can get right now!
How to find your legislators
KET Livestream (there's an app for that!)
https://www.facebook.com/NASWKentucky/
Please
share this information with other interested social workers and
students, and if you prefer to be removed from this mailing list, please
reach out to me.
Above all, thank YOU for everything you do for our profession and our people.
Best,
Brenda Rosen, MSW, CSW
Executive Director, NASW-KY