Issue Position: Helping Kentuckians in Tough Times

Issue Position

The last few years have been unpredictable for Kentucky families. While many faced financial uncertainty because of the recession, natural disasters -- from snow and wind storms to flooding and severe drought -- plagued communities across the Commonwealth. Each disaster increased monetary strain on many of Kentucky's already stretched and struggling families.

Governor Beshear has met with men and women who have lost their jobs and are fighting to keep roofs over their heads and food on the table. As merciless storms hit Kentucky, he has been on the ground surveying damage and handing out supplies and food to families.



His faith teaches him that he has a responsibility to help those in need. He puts these values into practice as governor by establishing and reforming various programs designed to assist Kentuckians in these difficult times. These include:

* Launched assistance.ky.gov, a one-stop shop website, providing accessible links for struggling Kentuckians to identify critical resources in tough times, including information on financial and home mortgage assistance, health insurance, job assistance and money-saving commuting tips.

* Created the Homeownership Protection Center to help keep Kentuckians in financial trouble in their homes and assists those in default or in danger of defaulting on their mortgage.

* Led Kentucky through a record number of natural disasters, from flooding and wind storms to the ice storm of 2009 -- Kentucky's worst natural disaster in modern times. The Beshear administration was on the ground for each disaster, ensuring that impacted Kentuckians received the help that they needed. This includes calling the National Guard, fighting price gougers and ensuring individuals and counties receive needed federal financial assistance.

* Helped Kentucky children get the health care they need to succeed, by reducing barriers to the Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program. His efforts have led to 52,000 more children getting the coverage they need. In addition, he started a program in Eastern Kentucky to train more dentists in pediatric dental care.

* Implemented the Kentucky Prescription Assistance Program which has helped nearly 18,000 Kentuckians secure $62.2 million in prescription drugs by tapping into assistance programs run by many drug companies.

* Secured a $50 million bond to ensure that student loans remained available to Kentuckians wanting to go to college from the state's only public, nonprofit student loan provider.

* Partnered with Microsoft on the innovative public-private partnership called "Microsoft Elevate America." This program provided free technology training and a wide variety of resources to Kentuckians seeking job training and resources.

In these tough times, we need Governor Beshear's tested leadership to move Kentucky forward.

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