John Hodgson

State Representative

District 36 Newsletter

October 2024
 

Hello John ,


Well, the drought is over! I hope you are enjoying some cooler Fall weather, my favorite season.

Good news: Bigelow Tea is starting a massive expansion in Jtown in District 36, where they plan to bag 2 BILLION bags of tea a year, creating more jobs and economic development for our area.

The new facility will benefit from a project I got put in the budget - KYTC Item No. 5-80003 Plantside Drive Extension - providing a much needed southern outlet of the Jtown Industrial Park on KY155, right at the Gene Snyder. That road will also divert the current heavy truck traffic away from residential roads like Tucker Station.

District 36 Road & Traffic Plans

ROAD CONSTRUCTION PROJECT UPDATES


  • US 60 Gilliland intersection Project 5-8952 : Intersection will be partially closed until Mid-Oct to relocate the gas lines. Progress! Utility relocation (complicated) will take until 2026, with construction starting afterward. The new intersection will square up with Shelbyville road, and eventually get a light.
  • IMove I64 Interchange https://i-moveky.com/ Project is still on track to complete this winter. The barrels and lane dividers still require a lot of alert driving, and the new lighting is not fully functional, so please use extra caution in the area as the sun is setting earlier and it gets harder to see. The 3rd lane from I64 exit all the way to the Taylorsville exit is open now, and is makes the traffic flow much smoother.
  • Old Henry Expansion Looks absolutely great! The Ash Ave intersection is open, and the contractor is finishing up some details. The traffic signals are always the last item on the list to be completed, and Metro has to synchronize them for smooth traffic flow. For some perspective, the first public meeting on this road was 2011... 13 years ago.
  • Widening KY 155 (Taylorsville Road) to 4 lanes with a center turn lane or raised median from I-265 to KY-148: Working on master plans for the remainder of 2024. Right-of-Way Phase 2025, Utility Phase late 2025. Construction Phase: 2026-7. https://transportation.ky.gov/DistrictFive/Pages/Jefferson-County-Widening-KY-155-Taylorsville-Road-Project-05-8908.aspx
  • Billtown Rd improvements on three sections of KY 1819/Billtown Road. The project is expected to be completed by the summer of 2025.
  • N English Station Widening Project: utility relocation are pacing the project, will continue into 2026. KYTC anticipates awarding bids for the project construction in the fall of 2026, with construction work between 2027 and 2028.
  • I64 Interchange Study: The Planning study and recommended alternative will be completed in the Fall of 2024. Basically this study is just to come up with a final plan and cost estimate to be considered in future budgets. I do not expect dirt to move for 6+ years, maybe longer.

 

We have so much road construction funded and planned for Jefferson County in the next 6 years; the biggest problems are going to be competition for scarce labor, building materials, and equipment. I wish we could make the process go faster, but it is going!


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Help Louisville Metro fix potholes by reporting online!


The Road Plan includes these District 36 projects in the 2025-26 budget cycle and 6 year plan:

  1. Gilliland Rd intersection at US 60
  2. KY 155 widening from I265 to Fisherville
  3. Johnson Road plan for reconstruction
  4. US 60 widening to 6 lanes in Middletown
  5. KY 155 widening from Fisherville to Spencer Co
  6. KY 1819/Billtown Rd reconstruction
  7. Eastwood-Fisherville I64 exit & Connector road study
  8. I 265 pavement improvements
  9. KY 1819 pavement improvements
  10. Plantside Dr/Rehl Rd Extension to Taylorsville Rd
  11. KY1819/Watterson Trail reconstruction
  12. Clark Station bridge repairs
Constitutional Minute

The Consent of the Governed

The Declaration of Independence is considered part of the "organic law" of the United States along with the Constitution. It was our first joint pledge to the American people and the world of what our nation would be all about.


"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."


To summarize:

1) Our rights come from God, not the Government. The government cannot take them away.

2) Governments are created to secure those rights, not infringe on them.

3) Government derives its just power from the consent of the governed (that's us)

4) If we do not like what Government is doing, we can change it. It works for us.


This does not mean everybody can do whatever they want (anarchy).

It does mean that government is limited by the consent of the people, and we Americans do not tolerate dictatorship or usurpation of our rights.

We have an orderly process defined by the Constitution to "consent" by electing leaders and representatives of the people,

That process includes educating yourself on the issues, voting for your representatives that make the laws, and voting on ballot measures like Constitutional Amendments.

Liberty is a team sport: make sure you are participating!


Legislative Update

2025 Bill Ideas

This time of year, all the bills we passed have become law, and we are looking at potential legislation for 2025.


Here are a few of the bills I am most interested in:


Income Tax Cut - The state has met the financial metrics to vote to decrease the individual income tax from 4% to 3.5% starting in Jan 2026, and that will likely be one of our early votes.

 

Electronic Privacy - I plan to try again with my collection of Privacy bills that passed the House last year (HB45), regarding drones, trackers, license plate reader data, and malicious use of AI Deepfakes.

 

Election Integrity - We have greatly improved KY's election integrity laws, with my HB44 (voter rolls) and HB53 (audits), but there is always more work to do, because people will always look for new ways to cheat. We will have a group working on a "continuous improvement" bill to close any vulnerabilities we find.

 

Geoengineering Ban - governments are actually proposing trying to modify the earth's weather by injecting dangerous toxins into the upper atmosphere, and other "fringe science"ideas. Most people think this is insane and dangerous, and we need to ban it in the skies over KY like TN did this year.

 

Kentucky Sovereignty - there are several topics of concern with the Federal government or foreign governments or foreign citizens reaching into our KY affairs, and we will look to make that explicitly illegal, relying on the 9th and 10th Amendment protections of the Constitution.


Preventing Social Media Censorship - this has been a hot topic since 2020, and we need to find a way to prevent the government from colluding with social media companies to suppress 1st Amendment expression.


More to come... Email me with your ideas of things we need address.

My focus is on protecting people FROM the government, vs growing the government.

Less government = more freedom, and lower taxes.


 My 4 Committee assignments are:

  • Elections & Constitutional Amendments
  • State Government
  • Transportation
  • Information Technology Oversight Committee (House Co-Chair)



Watch live internet video of the session and committees on this KET link.

I welcome your input and perspective on legislative issues (online form here).

My office number is 351D in the Capitol Annex.

Office phone is 502-564-8100.

State email is John.Hodgson@lrc.ky.gov

I will do my best to answer your questions and consider your input on District 36 issues if you would like to contact me.


In Case You Missed It:

Here are some links to my key bills from the recent Session -
Let's protect faith, family, and freedom in KY - Liberty is a team sport!
Political Happenings in Dist 36

Amendments and Judges on the Ballot (and your State Rep!)

I am on your ballot this November (yes, every 2 years!) If you have read this far, you know what I have been accomplishing these last 2 years, and I hope I have earned your vote to keep doing the work I am doing for District 36 and KY.


More importantly, There are 2 KY Constitutional Amendments on the ballot, and both came through my Committee in Frankfort to be approved for putting them up for your vote. It helps to read and understand them in advance,vs in the voting booth!


Amendment 1: Only Citizens can vote

This seems like a common sense measure, but the amendment will make it crystal clear, and make it harder for some political faction to change in the future. I am a 100% YES on this one, as are most people I have talked to.


Amendment 2: Allowing School Choice

This is probably the most hotly contested issue on the ballot. Parents and fans of small government tend to be in favor of it, and School Administrators, boards, and teacher union reps are leading the fight against it, as they consider it a threat to their economic interests (but I do not think it is).

48 other states have some form of School Choice, and the KY School system is lagging almost the whole country in performance. I have studied the issue for years, and it improves the performance of both public and private schools in almost every state where it is used.

Maybe since KY is ranked towards the bottom of the nation, we should try something that is helping the other states out-perform us? This amendment only provides "Constitutional permission" to negotiate and pass future laws on school choice options starting next year, it does not embody a specific law or plan. I am 100% YES on School Choice Amendment.

Judge Races: we have one special election on our ballot for a Jefferson County Family Court Judge. I have gotten to know Zack McKee from talking to him in depth at many, many candidate forums in the last 3 years. After growing up in rural Paris, KY, he attended college and law school and has dedicated his career to helping abused and neglected children. While judge candidates usually will not overtly communicate their political/policy positions, he seems to me to have more conservative and family oriented background and values than the other two candidates.He is also a warm and personable guy, and I plan to vote for him.

Last Notes and Resources

School Group Touring the Capitol? See my intro video here.


Archived Recent Newsletters:

Sept 2024 - Amendments on the ballot, road projects, legislation

August 2024 - road project updates, healthcare related new laws,

July 2024 - Budget bills, Shelbyville road plans, legislation taking effect July 15

June 2024 - Road plans, legislation affecting veterans and safety

May 2024 - Veto overrides, session recap, road budget/plan

April 2024 - Session, budget, road bills

March 2024 - mid-session update, Senate Vacancy bill

Feb 2024 - Session update, road budget, City of Eastwood?

Jan 2024 - Priority bills, road budget, 2024 preview

Dec 2023 - Road budget priorities, 2024 Session preview, election recap

Nov 2023 - I64 project,, State Gov Committee bills, election preview

Oct 2023 - Crime bill, Billtown Road project, VMAP Committee bills passed

Sept 2023 - privacy bill, I64 interchange, Family & Children legislation passed

August 2023 - Road budget process, interim committees, Licensing and Admin Regulation bills

July 2023 - Energy & Environment bills, I64/Gene Snyder project, November election lineup

June 2023 - Primary election, crime legislation update, Billtown Road project

May 2023 - 2023 Education bills, Taylorsville road project, 2024 priorities

April 2023 - 2023 Session recap, 2050 road plan

March 2023 - legislative session, N English Station road project, Taiwan ambassador

February 2023 - Part 2 of Session, Eastwood cutoff project, election law

January 2023 - How to track the Session and bills, new legislation, Eastwood Cutoff project

December 2022 - Election recap, legislative preview, how a bill becomes law

November 2022 - KY highway Plan, election preview

October 2022 - I64 Interchange, Judicial races

September '22 – Eastwood Cutoff project, Constitutional Privacy protection

August '22 – KY 155 / Pope Lick project, Limitations on Government Power

July '22 – First newsletter – our God-given Rights

Thanks for reading and being involved!

John Hodgson

State Representative District 36
 

Hodgson For Kentucky

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Address: PO Box 74

Fisherville, KY 40023

Phone: (502) 276-5213

https://hodgson4ky.com/


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