For Immediate Release: Thursday, May 11, 2017                                                                                         

(COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.) – Bluegrass Institute president and CEO Jim Waters introduced Gov. Matt Bevin here at Wednesday’s opening luncheon of the Heritage Foundation’s 40th annual Resource Bank meeting, noting free-market solutions combined with Bevin’s principled leadership played critical roles in the historic accomplishments during this year’s Kentucky General Assembly.

“Sound policy ideas coupled with strong, principled political leadership has brought change to Kentucky -- from being a state of frustration, where each time a policy that advanced our vision of moving Kentuckians from dependency to prosperity got passed by our Republican Senate only to die before it traveled the 1,000 feet to the other end of the Capitol -- to today, where you can drive from east to west through this entire commonwealth and never touch a county that went blue in the last election,” Waters said in prepared remarks, referring to the changes brought about by November’s election in the Kentucky House of Representatives, where Republicans went from having 44 seats and being in the minority to having 64 seats and a supermajority.

Bevin in his remarks challenged hundreds of conservative policy and political leaders and activists gathered from around the nation at the historic Broadmoor Hotel to be unflinching in their approach.

“Step up and be bold; never have a spirit of timidity in anything,” he said. “If you believe in our founding principles … go forward and lead.”

The governor praised House Speaker Greg Stumbo and Senate President Robert Stivers for their work in passing seven historic bills, including right-to-work, prevailing-wage repeal, pension transparency and “paycheck protection” for workers, during the first week of this year’s legislative session.

Because “the pendulum goes both ways,” he said it was important to “seize the day” and get as much done as possible as quickly as possible.

For more information, please contact Jim Waters at jwaters@freedomkentucky.com, 859.444.5630 ext. 102 (office) or 270.320.4376 (cell).