UPDATE: Bill Passes KY House 96-0!
Grassroots advocacy is so critical in driving important legislation on every level of government. With most state legislatures in full swing throughout the country, AMAC Action advocates are already engaged in the legislative process. They’ve been active to help override a veto protecting parental rights and girls’ sports in Ohio and recently engaged on vital personal privacy legislation in Kentucky.
A bill must have demonstrable support to move along the legislative process. A representative can have a great idea, craft a bill, but if fellow legislators don’t act to co-sponsor it, the legislation goes nowhere. Initial support from statehouse colleagues gets the bill read in the legislature and generates more exposure along the way.
In Kentucky, State Representative John Hodgson (District 36 ) introduced HB 45, a bill that protects electronic privacy rights. In today’s digital age, protecting our privacy rights is more important than ever. With the rapid advancement of technology, it is becoming increasingly commonplace for our personal information to be accessed and exploited without our consent.
Representative Hodgson’s bill would restrict the duration and commercialization of data license plate readers gather; prohibit governmental and civilian drone surveillance or video recording of private property without consent; prohibit coercion by governments and corporations for employees to undergo implanted identification or tracking chips (similar to those used for pets); and prohibit the placement of electronic tracking devices on individuals or their belongings without explicit consent; among other provisions.
AMAC members in Kentucky, recognizing the importance of protecting the citizenry’s civil rights, responded to an AMAC Action call-to-action, and sent hundreds of messages to their state representatives urging them to co-sponsor HB 45. The results were immediate and impressive. Eight additional co-sponsors signed on to the bipartisan bill within less than 24 hours of the call-to-action’s launch with even more legislators lending their support by the end of the week. Well done, Bluegrass State AMAC members!
Representative Hodgson was grateful for the support generated by AMAC members saying, “AMAC Action’s efficient process for activating your advocates to politely contact their legislators for co-sponsorships and votes on key bills has been of great value. I look forward to our continued good work together in advancing useful legislation for the state of Kentucky.”
Your AMAC Action team is monitoring the progress of HB 45 and will share any new information as it becomes available. If you live in Kentucky and want to contact your state representative to ask them to co-sponsor HB 45, please click here.
The reason I joined AMAC was because of a disability that keep me basically home bound, long before Covid. In doing research I found quotes of less than 10% of people with disabilities are actively able to participate in a lot of the political gatherings. Often local meet and greets with candidate are not accessible for people who are hard of hearing or deaf, or due to compromised immune systems unable to attend, the list of disabilities that keep many of us out of the public eye are also what keeps us out of the political arena.That being said, it is part of the reason people like myself need AMAC and others who are willing to fight for freedoms.
When a nation declines often it is those with disabilities that are shoved aside, it is a scary place to be, to watch and feel helpless, that if those with fair health do not fight for us, we are lost. So thank you AMAC for being there.
Thank you AMAC. I live in KY and had it not been for you bringing this legislation to my attention (via e-mail) I would not have know. You made is super easy for me to reach out to my representative and ask her to co-sponsor the bill. Again, thank you for the hard work you do and for being the eyes and ears for us Conservatives.