Some of you may have already seen this, but for each of us involved in family history/genealogy, this is very important legislation that is being presented during this session of the KY General Assembly. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Maria T." <kytroutman@daytonaccess.net> To: <KYARC-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, January 13, 2002 9:23 PM Subject: [KYARC-L] Fwd: Cemetery Legislation-Atty.Gen.Chandler > > >Received this from another person, deeply involved with a small abandoned > >family cemetery.... passing it on.... > > > > >This is being sent out to everyone on my mailing lists who is involved > >with family history research. > > > >If you live in Kentucky or have interests in family history in Kentucky, > >read this very carefully. This information is from a presentation of the > >Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Kentucky at a meeting to the > >Kentucky Genealogical Society on January 12, 2002. A web site is listed > >for use as contact on this issue. > > > >> > >>Hello All: I went to Frankfort yesterday to hear Atty.Gen. Ben Chandler > >>on the pending cemetery legislation. > >> > >>Bottom Line: The Legislature is in session now and the "Cemetery > >>Bill/Legislation" will be presented by Rep. Reginald K. Meeks and Sen. > >>Gerald A. Neal to the General Assembly for vote THIS SESSION. Therefore, > >>everyone must contact legislators of both houses and seek support for its > >>passage. WHY? Because if the $$$ (1.2 to 2,000,000) are not allocated > >>for the cemetery legislation now, they probably never will be. This > >>will be the "seed money" for all future cemetery work in the State. > >> > >>These $$$ are "found" money, which means that it is money no longer > >>needed where it was allocated, but the Legislature must vote/approve > >>where it will be used now. Gen.Chandler is afraid that the General > >>Assembly will take the $$$ and use them elsewhere (budget crunching); and > >>that leaves the cemetery legislation without any funds. Without funds, > >>the "package" has no teeth. > >> > >>Go to this web site and e-mail, telephone (Jack says that's the best) or > >>write as many legislators as possible and ask them to support the > >>allocation of the funds for the "Cemetery Legislation" presented by Meeks > >>and Neal. > >><http://www.lrc.state.ky.us/Whoswho/whoswho.htm>http://www.lrc.state.ky.us /Whoswho/whoswho.htm > >> > >>The Task Force appointed by Chandler's office worked diligently and made > >>numerous recommendations to assist Meeks and Neal. These > >>recommendations include, among others: > >>1. Either the KY Historical Society or the Heritage Council be the body > >>to administer the funds. > >>2. Fund to provide "incentive" funding for local groups who show > >>willingness by helping to clean cemeteries (Hey, that's us, folks). > >>3. Tax credit for people to be able to contribute funds for grant project. > >>4. Annual Cemetery Clean-up Week to be declared with publicity to raise > >>public awareness - probably around Memorial Day weekend. > >>5. Strengthen laws: desecration; illegal removal of bodies to be > >>treated as felony; require adequate records be maintained. > >>6. Clarify people's right to free access to cemetery sites. [Whitney > >>Hale - I think that's her last name - is sending me the present law on > >>this point. She said that right now any descendant/relative has the > >>right to access any place where ancestors buried; that if anyone gives > >>trouble on this, to go to the County Attorney of that county and enlist > >>the assistance of that office - they must help. I think the landowner > >>must provide some sort of pathway to the burial site. There is no law > >>YET to require landowner to fence around the burial site to keep out his > >>farm animals.] > >> > >>Other comments by Chandler: > >>Issues are different and laws are different regarding "privately" owned > >>cemeteries and municipal/county cemeteries. Church cemeteries are > >>"privately" owned. Abandoned cemeteries (like Chalybeate where there is > >>no entity claiming ownership) need processing through the court system to > >>create a "takeover" by either the county or a specific society, per > >>se. Suggests that a local citizens movement be created to get attention > >>of local officials and get them willing to take active responsibility. > >> > >>PVA office excludes taxes on cemeteries. [Willie, this might be > >>something to check out - how is the PVA office handling the land?] > >> > >>This week the KY Historical Society will receive the database the Task > >>Force of the Atty Gen's office amassed. [I have asked that Whitney and > >>the KHS check to make sure that Old Chalybeate Springs Cemetery in > >>Webster County is on that list. They assured me that they will and will > >>let me know. Soon the KHS will have On-Line and accessible, KY's > >>cemeteries and the folks buried in them that have been submitted.] > >> > >>Slides of many burial sites around KY in various states of beauty and > >>decay and disgrace were shown. Willie Joe, he showed 2 in Paducah: (1) > >>tombstones directly next to a 4-lane highway just across from Plaza Tire; > >>and (2) Oak Grove Memorial Park. He used these as examples of the #(1) > >>of what not to do and of the #(2) of what can be done where many graves > >>are lost: create a park and a memorial marker. In fact, this is a > >>recommendation of the Task Force - create park-like settings where people > >>can come to walk, etc., thus helping to protect the area. > >> > >>The above hits the highlights of the KY Genealogical Society meeting on > >>Saturday, January 12, 2001, in Frankfort KY at which Atty. Gen. Ben > >>Chandler spoke. He said he traversed many miles of lost, abandoned, and > >>neglected burial sites and sustained war wounds to prove it - CHIGGERS! > >> > > > ==== KYARC Mailing List ==== > Kentucky Archives - Donate info today! > >