News & Commentary

If you only have time to call about a few bills, here's a list of what we're watching closely this week.

Very few new and original ideas get traction in the Kentucky General Assembly. Year after year, legislators look at the bills making headlines across the country and file them here in the Commonwealth. LGBTQ Kentuckians are among this year’s targets of copycat legislation, facing a series of ill-conceived bills, best described as a Slate of Hate.

The ACLU team had a busy week in Frankfort during the fifth week of the 2020 legislative session. Here are some specific highlights about key pieces of legislation we are following and what our team accomplished the week of February 2 to February 8.

Calling the Legislative Message Line is one of the most effective ways to share your opinion with lawmakers. See which bills the ACLU of Kentucky supports and opposes and call your legislators 1-800-372-7181.

Every day, pregnant people across our country face the deeply personal decision of whether to continue their pregnancies. Each pregnancy and person’s circumstances are different -- some people have a healthy and desired pregnancy, some have a pregnancy that is unplanned, and some have severe health conditions that modern medicine cannot fix.

As 2020 came, many of us counted down with hopes that the new year would bring new experiences and new ways forward. Despite the calendar telling us it was 2020, Frankfort’s calendar still said 1990.

With a five to three vote of the fiscal court, Woodford County, population 26,368, became the first Kentucky County in two decades to approve a Fairness Ordinance prohibiting LGBTQ discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. Jefferson County was the last county-wide municipal government to approve the measure in October 1999 before merging with the city of Louisville. Lexington-Fayette County's merged government also approved a Fairness Ordinance in July 1999. 

View ACLU-KY white pages on three pieces of legislation moving through the Kentucky Senate and House of Representatives:

Our team is at the Capitol working with legislators to propose new bills, make bills better, and defeat harmful legislation. Check out the guide below to learn more about the process and how you can get involved.