Two Serious Issues Plus a Chicken Bill

January 25, 2008

State Representative David W. Floyd

US 31E

When a new administration takes over folks rightly wonder how things will change; will projects started by one governor be continued by the next? We have a significant road project underway rebuilding US 31E in several places. The “Priority Segment” from Highway 509 to Whitney Stables is in the right-of-way acquisition phase. We were on track to complete that rebuild in about 2010. We don’t yet know how that project will line up in a revised list of road priorities.

Now, most folks here know and understand how important it is to rebuild that segment of US 31E.  It’s a dangerous stretch of highway, with significant loss of life over the years. It rightly belongs at the top of our priorities. 

Nelson County Judge Dean Watts and I wanted to make sure that the new administration understood that the rebuild was a priority for everyone, not any political party. We invited ourselves up to meet with the new Secretary of Transportation, Joe Prather. He was a gracious host. The Secretary knows Judge Watts and has several good friends in this region. We enjoyed a pleasant conversation, and Judge Watts presented to Secretary Prather a prioritized list of road construction needs.

This does not guarantee that the Priority Segment will remain a priority.  We will know more when the state’s revised Road Plan is presented in late March.

Your TV Won’t Work Next Year

Our lives can be seriously affected by legislative action. The US Congress set a date of February 17, 2009 to require all local television stations to broadcast their signal only in the digital format. If you pay for your TV service (cable, satellite or telephone line) you should be fine. If you rely on (free) over-the-air signals for your television viewing you’ll need to take action.

I won’t get into why this is happening. (You can discover all you want at www.dtv.gov or www.DTVanswers.com.) But you need to know that your current television might not be equipped to handle the digital signal and you’ll be without TV until you upgrade.

You’ll have four options to prepare for the change. You can purchase a digital TV converter box that hooks up to your analog TV. This will cost maybe $70. If you need help with this, in early 2009 the federal government will give you a coupon worth $40. In this way you’ll be able to use your current antenna to bring in free over-the-air signals.

Or, you can buy a new TV set with a built-in digital tuner. You’ll still get free over-the-air signals using an antenna. By the way, if you bought your current set in the last several years and it’s 27 inches or bigger, you’re probably okay.

The third option is to subscribe to cable, satellite, or telephone company service. Of course this won’t be free.

A final option is to recycle your old TV and visit your free public library on a regular basis, which we should all do anyway.

Fried Chicken

There are bills considered in your General Assembly that are, shall we say, on the lighter side: make clogging the official dance of Kentucky, milk the official drink, or cornhole the official game.  I generally steer clear of these bills, but believe it or not they are important to some people. Rep. Charlie Siler brought forth a bill that makes fried chicken the official picnic food of Kentucky. Charlie is one of the kindest men I know, a retired US Army veteran of the Korean War and a farmer. He pointed out that his bill had bipartisan support and that it wouldn’t take time away from serious issues. Charlie asked me to cosponsor the bill with him. It seemed important to him so I signed on. But I felt guilty enough that I thought I owed you an explanation. 

I can also try to explain other things and keep you informed of what’s going on and how it will affect you and your family. Hearing from you is the best part of my job, so call me at home or leave a message at 800-372-7181. If you’d like to meet and talk I’ll be buying the coffee at 10:00 this Saturday at Joy’s Grocery in Fairfield.