Beech Tree News Network

I left Frankfort on Friday, January 6 after four busy legislative days. While we are set to reconvene session on February 7, committees are meeting and legislators continue to work on the bills and resolutions we will take up when we return.

Session is a great time to visit the Capitol in Frankfort. If you are interested in making the trip while we are in session, please consider allowing me to schedule a tour of the Capitol. We are also able to arrange tours of the Kentucky History Center, the Old Capitol, and the Military History Museum. Of course, I welcome you to attend legislative committee meetings and House Floor proceedings. The House Gallery is open to the public and provides a bird’s eye view of the work we do while in session. Please let me know in advance if you are making plans to visit during the session.

I anticipate one of my favorite duties as a legislator will be to welcome school groups to Frankfort. These tours will remind me why I am serving this community and provide school children with a firsthand appreciation of their state capitol building and capital city. If you have a school group or civic organization that would like to come visit, I hope you will let me arrange the tour. I also have some resources for groups that cannot make the trip – including a video tour and activity books.

I am also excited to welcome individual students who are interested in serving as a legislative page. The program has a limited number of slots and fills up quickly, so please let me know as soon as possible so we can try to reserve a slot. Pages must be 10 years old or older. They serve for a day on the House Floor, running errands, delivering copies of bills or paperwork, and performing other errands and duties. It is a great opportunity to experience the legislative process firsthand. Honestly, they also remind us that the work we are doing will have long term repercussions for their generation and those to come.

While I welcome the opportunity to visit with constituents who travel to the capital city, I also know that lives are busy and sometimes that is not possible. Because of this, we are still using a variety of tools to keep the legislature’s work accessible to Kentuckians across the state. In fact, if anything good came out of the pandemic, it is the fact that we are able to use technology to increase transparency. For decades, Kentucky Educational Television (KET) has televised committee meetings and the work we do on the House Floor. In addition, the legislature now offers a YouTube channel and broadcasts live from committees that KET is unable to cover. To access the KET and YouTube coverage, visit www.legislature.ky.gov and click on the Live Coverage box. You may also go directly to them via www.ket.org and KY LRC Committee Meetings on YouTube. Both the legislature and KET keep an archive of meetings so you can watch them at any time.

The House Majority Caucus also has a presence (@KYHouseGOP) on YouTube and other social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. These are also a valuable resource as they often share information throughout the day as news unfolds.

The Legislative Research Commission (LRC) is the legislature’s administrative arm and maintains a fantastic website. That website contains every bill we consider, schedules, contact information, and information about the legislative process. I regularly refer to LRC publications, which provide research information on a variety of issues and can also be downloaded from the website.

As always, I hope you will feel free to contact me with any questions or issues. I can be reached through the toll-free message line in Frankfort at 1-800-372-7181. Please feel free to email me at [email protected]. If you would like more information about any of these committees or legislative actions, you can visit the Legislative Research Commission website at legislature.ky.gov.

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Leave a Message for Me: 1-800-372-7181

(Kentucky Relay Service: 711)

Email Me: [email protected]

Mailing Address:

702 Capital Avenue, Annex Room 329G

Frankfort, Kentucky 40601

Meeting Calendar Information: 1-800-633-9650

Bill Status Line: 1-866-840-2835

Legislative Website: legislature.ky.gov

YouTube: @KY LRC Committee Meetings, @KYHouseGOP

KET: ket.org/legislature

Facebook: @Rebecca Raymer, State Representative – District 15, @KYHouseGOP