For three weeks, the Kentucky Coalition of Nurse Practitioners and Nurse Midwives have been pushing to improve health care access in the Commonwealth without costing the state or the taxpayer a single dime. How? Through trying to get our state senate Licensing and Occupations committee to pass Senate Bill 51, which I discussed in depth in a diary last week.
And since Feb 5th, there it has sat, in our Republican controlled Senate's Licensing and occupations committee, with the Kentucky Medical association trying to pawn more regulations on NPs by MDs as some sort of "compromise", Senate Bill 94, which just further limits APRN practice by keeping them reliant on, and regulated by, physicians. Nurses should regulate nurses, not doctors, but I digress. Weeks of calling and tweeting this issue and trying to get people to call their message line in support of SB 51 (1-800-372-7181 if you are in Ky and have time this week), so when I read this, I really just wanted to scream...
From WYMT news...
".................Senate Bill 129 would allow Kentucky to ignore any new federal gun laws. The proposed bill also holds an emergency clause which would allow it to take effect immediately after becoming a law.
...snip...
Bays adds, "The Federal Government has a one size fits all mentality. You can look at the inner cities, Chicago for instance, has some of the highest murder rates and they have some of the strictest gun control laws." Bays says when looking at statistics it is proven that, "Anywhere you have more concealed carries, you have less crime."
The Senate committee also unanimously approved a bill sponsored by Senator Brandon Smith of Hazard that reduces from 90 days to 60 days, the amount of time state police have to approve or deny an application for a license to carry a concealed deadly weapon........."
Really? Some symbolic, good for nothing pissing match over guns gets fast tracked and improved health care access for Kentucky Citizens that doesn't cost a penny sits there?!
Pardon me while I puke.
If you are on the twitter, please, tell our Senators that they really should focus on improving health care access over pandering to gun lovers with promises of bills that don't do crap. Here are the twitter names of the Committee members who use twitter: @SenatorSchickel @SenatorJimmy @Julian_Carroll @Julie_Denton @Damon_Thayer @MorganMcGarvey
Thayer is the GOP co-chair, about what you would expect, bragging about taking his kids to places like Chick-fil-a and such on twitter. Your typical righty hate group supporter, you know.
I should have been born in a blue state...{sigh}. Rant off...Sorry, just had to vent to the more like minded.