I received the following letter today from the KENTUCKY ATTORNEY GENERAL's Office, dated March 8, 2002. It would appear to me that NOW is the time for our KENTUCKY friends to contact their State Senators to urge the passage of KY House Bill 572, as it has passed the House of Representatives and now must pass the Kentucky SENATE. For more information on KENTUCKY House Bill 572, see: http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/record/02rs/HB572.htm For more information on the KENTUCKY Attorney General's Task Force on the Preservation of Kentucky's Cemeteries, see: http://kyattorneygeneral.com/cemetery/default.htm For information on contacting YOUR KENTUCKY STATE SENATOR to urge passage of this bill, see: http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/Whoswho/whoswho.htm I hope you will cross-post this message to other KENTUCKY e-mail groups that have an interest in protecting that State's pioneer cemeteries. Lois Mauk Indiana Pioneer Cemeteries Restoration Project http://www.rootsweb.com/~inpcrp ======================================== TEXT OF LETTER FROM THE KENTUCKY ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE -- Dear Friend: House Bill 572 passed the House of Representatives with a vote of 83 to 15 on February 20,2002. It was assigned to the Senate State Local Government Committee on February 26. The bill has not received a hearing in the committee. House Bill 572 was filed based on the recommendations of the 29-member Task Force on the Preservation of Kentucky's Cemeteries which included concerned citizens, representatives of the cemetery and funeral home industry, representatives of local, state, and federal government agencies, and universities. House Bill 572 will provide a long-term solution for Kentucky's cemeteries including: * Creating a statewide grant program, of up to $25,000 with local cash or in-kind match, to provide funding for equipment and other projects to fund maintenance and appropriate historic preservation projects for gravesites and cemeteries. The program would be jointly administered by the Kentucky Historical Society and Kentucky Heritage Council through the Kentucky Historical Society's Cemetery Preservation Grants Program; * Providing a tax credit and optional refund check off program for individuals to contribute to the statewide grant program to preserve local cemeteries; and * Establishing an Annual Kentucky Cemetery Clean Up Week preceding Memorial Day. The 2.2 million-dollars in funds for the preservation of Kentucky's cemeteries were recovered in consumer protection lawsuits. The Court orders for these recovered funds, which are currently not budgeted for any program, provide that they may be used for consumer-related purposes. The use of these funds must be approved by the General Assembly. The funding request for HB 572 is located within HB 507, which is the Budget Bill for the Executive Branch of State Government. The Attorney General's office is working diligently with Representative Reginald Meeks and Senator Gerald Neal to restore the dignity and integrity of the resting-places of our deceased loved-ones and the pioneers who built this great Commonwealth. Concerned individuals and organizations may contact their Legislators at 1-800-372-7181. Sincerely, /s/ Corey L. Bellamy Special Assistant COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL CAPITOL BUILDING, SUITE 118 700 CAPITOL AVENUE FRANKFORT, KY 4060 I -3449 ALBERT O. CHANDLER, III ATTORNEY GENERAL Phone: (502) 696-5300 Fax: (502) 564-2894