Early in the morning on March 17, 2022, two distinct groups of young hopefuls’ load into their respective buses. College athletes and Hardin County’s Future Leaders both wide-eyed, full of promise, and ready to conquer the world. While the college athletes were ready to crush their competition, The Hardin County Leadership group were ready to focus on blocking and passing legislation that directly impacted the State and Hardin County. The leadership team were glued to our circular seats for almost three hours as we visited the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. The conversation started with the Kentucky Chamber Public Affairs John Hughes and Jon Dye, they had selected their top bracket of bills to support.
House Bill 4: Unemployment Insurance Reform with a focus on reforming Kentucky’s unemployment insurance system to support re-employment and workforce development.
House Bill 8: Pro-Growth Tax Reform which would reduce personal income tax and broaden the sales tax base to create a more competitive tax code for growth.
House Bill 499: Child Care Assistance Partnership that encouraged non-profit and for-profit employers to offer childcare assistance as a benefit by matching employer contributions with state dollar effectively addressing barriers to work. The entire leadership team understood the importance of developing the workforce and debated the impacts of the bills. A fourth underdog bill was presented for discussion by one Ms. Lisa Slaven. This bill would dominate discussion throughout the day.
House Bill 9: Charter School. This bill would try to build on the charter school legislation that was passed in 2017.
The leadership team actively debated the concern of directing funds away from public schools that serve the entire population including those with learning and developmental disabilities in favor of funding charter schools. As opinions divided the room a more controversial topic was raised that knew no party lines.
Wildcats or Cardinals
Thomas Cofer, Hardin County Leadership, obsessively reviewed his bracket selection.
After endless excitement at the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce the future leaders loaded into the caravan to travel to the State Capitol Building.
The leadership team completed a self-guided tour of the capital remarking on the richly sculptured archways and cornices, hand-painted murals, stained-glass skylights, and Honduras mahogany. All were in awe of the generous expanses of marble.
The future leaders were welcomed into the Office of Dennis Parrett and Jim DuPlessis. Understanding the time and place for active political discussions the team asked the legislators their concerns for Hardin County. One leader asked Mr. Parrett what he was most proud of accomplishing in his service to Hardin County. He was responsible for requiring a blood oxygen test be administered to all newborn babies to ensure they are healthy before leaving the hospital. Unfortunately, neither Dennis nor Jim would confirm their March Madness picks but there was unity in both parties that basketball keeps Kentucky strong! A quick ride through Frankfort took the group to the Kentucky Historical Society Campus where classmates split up to tour the Old State Capital and the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History.
Highlights of the tour included the self-supporting stone stairway at the Old State Capital and interactive displays through the museum. The group was delighted to find a few interesting
Kentucky state laws including:
– Every citizen is required to take a shower at least once a year
– Throwing eggs at a public speaker can result in a year in prison
– Horses cannot be legally traded after dark
– It is illegal to carry an ice cream cone in your pocket
After an afternoon of state history, classmates boarded the buses for a drive back to Hardin County with high hopes for their tournament picks. While a few brackets busted, the opportunity to learn about Hardin County’s influence in our capital was a slam dunk.
Written By:
Kylee Durbin
Bank Chief Compliance Officer
Magnolia Bank
649 West Dixie Avenue
Kathryn Plucis
HR Manager
Altec Industries
200 Altec Drive