We are asking you to help us contact every senator on the Senate Appropriations and Revenue committee (whether they’re your Senator or not) on Wednesday, March 19^th with an important message. If you do not have time, or cannot get through on Wednesday please keep trying through the weekend.  You will not be able to email senators with  (name@lrc.ky.gov) from the public library computers.  Please send the others and if you can send emails from home you can catch the odd ones.    Thank You.

Here are the Senators on the committee:
Senator Charlie Borders (chair) http://www.lrc.ky.gov/Mailform/S018.htm
Senator Ernie Harris (vice chair) http://www.lrc.ky.gov/Mailform/S026.htm
Senator David Boswell david.boswell@lrc.ky.gov
Senator Tom Buford http://www.lrc.ky.gov/Mailform/S022.htm
Senator Carroll Gibson http://www.lrc.ky.gov/Mailform/S005.htm
Senator Denise Harper Angel http://www.lrc.ky.gov/Mailform/S035.htm
Senator Dan Kelly http://www.lrc.ky.gov/Mailform/S014.htm
Senator Alice Forgy Kerr alice.forgy@lrc.ky.gov
Senator Bob Leeper  bob.leeper@lrc.ky.gov
Senator Vernie McGaha http://www.lrc.ky.gov/Mailform/S015.htm
Senator R. J. Palmer II http://www.lrc.ky.gov/Mailform/S028.htm
Senator Tim Shaughnessy http://www.lrc.ky.gov/Mailform/S019.htm
Senator Robert Stivers robert.stivers@lrc.ky.gov
Senator Gary Tapp gary.tapp@lrc.ky.gov
Senator Elizabeth Tori http://www.lrc.ky.gov/Mailform/S010.htm
Senator Johnny Ray Turner http://www.lrc.ky.gov/Mailform/S029.htm
Senator Jack Westwood jack.westwood@lrc.ky.gov

You have three ways to contact them:
1. Send an e-mail to each of the Senate A & R committee members with the following message.   (if you go to our web page and click on more information under "Help Your Library Receive State Aid" you will have links. )
Please use this subject line in your e-mail:
Adding $484,800 to the budget each year for public libraries will keep public libraries from closing their doors and reducing hours and programming
Message:
     I am a (library director, library trustee, library user) from (county) and I am asking you to take a leadership role to help one of the most important organizations in your district: your public libraries. I am asking you to advocate and use your influence as a member of the Appropriations and Revenue Committee to include the amount of $484,800 over each of the next two years for DIRECT STATE AID to public libraries through KDLA.
      The House recommendations in HB 406 for funding public libraries (no additional funding beyond the Governor’s recommendations and a reduction in direct state aid through budget cuts) will mean the following:

· Closing some libraries – Elliot, Ballard, Hickman, Knott, Robertson, Metcalfe and Fleming counties receive more than 25% of their funding from direct state aid through KDLA
· Reduction in hours of operation – 13 ADDITIONAL county libraries receive at least 10% of their total funding from direct state aid to counties through KDLA
· Elimination of programming – programs for preschoolers are designed to prepare them to learn how to read when they reach kindergarten and programs for seniors are often the only programming for this group in the community, particularly rural communities