August 2009 Archives

Congressman Chandler touring East Kentucky Power Cooperative with officials from Clark County

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Congressman Chandler visited the Stewart Home in Franklin County on August 20, 2009.  Chandler toured the facility, met with residents, and spoke with administrators about healthcare reform.

WASHINGTON (August 19, 2009)—Congressman Chandler was in North Middletown today distributing books to North Middletown Elementary School students as part of the Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) program.

“These Bourbon County kids got to choose a book and take it home today,” Chandler said. “They were thrilled! I love seeing children so excited about reading, and I hope that it becomes an important part of their lives that they take with them through adulthood.”

Chandler also read a book aloud to two classes of students in the library before giving out the books.

RIF is the nation’s largest children’s literacy organization. It also offers book distribution programs allowing children to choose and take home books at no cost to them.  Federal funds provide up to 75 percent of the cost of the books, and the balance is obtained from private and local sources.
 

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Congressman Chandler spoke to the Woodford County Farm Bureau on August 18th, 2009.  After brief remarks, the Congressman took questions about current issues, including healthcare.

WASHINGTON (August 18, 2009)—Today, Congressman Ben Chandler visited Red River Health Care to read and distribute books to school children as part of the Reach Out and Read program.

“Reading is a fundamental part of a child’s development,” Chandler said. “It opens doors, opens the imagination, and gives a child a solid foundation for life. The children we saw in Powell County today were so excited about these books, and I hope that excitement about reading continues for them for decades.”

The Reach Out and Read program promotes literacy as a critical part of pediatric primary care.  It serves 3.8 million children annually and distributes over 6 million books each year. In the Sixth Congressional District alone, Reach Out and Read serves over 10,700 children.  On Tuesday, Congressman Chandler participated in Reach Out and Read’s Powell County book giveaway, providing free books to children visiting the clinic.

After reading aloud to the children, Congressman Chandler toured the facility, and met with doctors, nurses, and other hospital staff to discuss healthcare reform currently before the United States Congress.

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WASHINGTON, (August 18, 2009)—Today, Congressman Ben Chandler announced $2 million from the recovery package—the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009—for the Mountain Association for Community Economic Development (MACED).

MACED seeks to create economic opportunity in Appalachian communities while also supporting the sustainable use of natural resources. The federal funds announced Tuesday will help support initiatives which could significantly benefit many of the sixteen counties in the Sixth Congressional District.

 “This money, in the hands of MACED, is sustainable and will help a number of small Appalachian businesses,” Congressman Chandler said in his remarks announcing the grant this afternoon.  “Because the recovery act money will be used in the form of loans through MACED, the funding is sustainable: It will be planted, grow, will be given back, and then will help seed another small business, continuing the cycle and benefitting the entire region.”

The recovery act funding came as part of the Community Development Financial Institutions Program, which is administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.  This fund invests in private for-profit and non-profit financial institutions that serve low-income communities which lack access to affordable financial products and services.

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WASHINGTON (August 18, 2009)—Today, Congressman Chandler distributed books to West Irvine Elementary School students as part of the Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) program.

RIF is the nation’s largest children’s literacy organization. It also offers book distribution programs allowing children—from infancy to high school—to choose and take home books at no cost.  Federal funds provide up to 75 percent of the cost of the books, and the balance is obtained from private and local sources.

“It’s wonderful that these kids to get to pick out a book they love and take it home at no cost to them,” Chandler said.  “Reading is such an important part of my life, and I hope today, reading becomes an important part of theirs.”

RIF in Estill County recently made other news, as Ms. Elke Davis won a national award for her service with RIF earlier this year. Ms. Davis was present at West Irvine Elementary School today. Congressman Chandler congratulated Ms. Davis for her award-winning work on her recent visit to Washington, D.C., in June.

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On August 17, 2009, Congressman Chandler spoke at the Poverty Forum in downtown Lexington.  Chandler gave a federal perspective on poverty after Jonathan Alter, Newsweek columnist and author, addresed the audience.

Below are photographs from Congressman Chandler's visit to the 3rd Annual Zion Hill Day celebration on the Scott-Woodford County line.

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WASHINGTON (August 14, 2009)—Today, Congressman Ben Chandler announced the allocation of $100,370 in federal funding to the Lincoln County Fire Department.

The Department was recently awarded a grant by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).  The Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) will help the local fire department and department of emergency medical services pay for EMS training and equipment.

“Every single day, these firefighters selflessly put their lives on the line to protect their neighbors, the town of Stanford, and the whole of Lincoln County,” Chandler said. “They risk their own lives to save the lives of those in their communities, and we have an obligation to protect these brave men and women by giving them the best equipment possible.”

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Today, Congressman Chandler stopped by the Mercer County Courthouse for meetings with local officials.  Photos of his visit are below.

WASHINGTON (August 13, 2009)—On Wednesday, August 12, Congressman Ben Chandler visited the Franklin County Health Department as part of the Reach Out and Read program.

This program promotes literacy as a critical part of pediatric primary care, and serves 3.8 million children annually and distributes over 6 million books each year. In the Sixth Congressional District alone, Reach Out and Read serves over 10,700 children.  On Wednesday, Congressman Chandler participated in Reach Out and Read’s Franklin County book giveaway, providing free books to children visiting the clinic.

“Reading is so important,” Chandler said.  “Not only does this program give children access to books, but it gets kids engaged and excited about reading at an early age, a beneficial gift that stays with them for the rest of their lives.”

At the event, Chandler read three books aloud to children at the health department—“Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed,” “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie,” and “David Gets in Trouble.”
 
After the book distribution, Congressman Chandler met with Franklin County doctors, nurses, board members, and patients and took questions on issues surrounding healthcare reform.

Chandler continued, “I appreciate everything that our healthcare workers do for Franklin County, and I appreciate all the good work that Reach Out and Read has done for our young people.”

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Congressman Ben Chandler toured Global Environmental Services, an electronic waste recycling facility in Scott County, on August 12, 2009.

Bill will make a four-year college education more accessible to Kentucky’s veterans

            WASHINGTON (August 04, 2009)—On Saturday, August 1, 2009, veterans started receiving college education benefits under the Post-9/11 GI Bill, commonly referred to as the GI Bill for the 21st Century.  Through the new program, it is estimated that 2.1 million members of the military who have served after September 11, 2001, will be eligible for up to four years of education benefits, including stipends for housing and books. 

            “We have a duty to serve the soldiers and the military families who have sacrificed so much for our country,” Chandler said.  “We are helping veterans and families realize the dream of a four-year college education, and during these tough economic times, higher education is so important, expanding job prospects and strengthening our economy.”

           Under this program, honorably discharged veterans, including activated reservists and members of the National Guard who have served on active duty for at least 90 days since September 11, 2001, can receive up to four years of educational benefits at a college or university.  Benefits are calculated on a sliding scale, and to receive full benefits, one must have served on active duty for three years.  Veterans were able to start applying for a certificate of eligibility for the new college benefits at the VA website https://www.gibill.va.gov/ on May 1st of this year.

           Children of service members who died on active duty after September 11, 2001, will qualify for the full education benefit, regardless of the length of military service of their parent. These benefits expire 15 years after the 18th birthday of surviving military children.

           This program will pay for:

• Tuition and fees of up to the maximum in-state tuition and fees at a public institution,
• A monthly housing allowance at the location of the school, based on the Basic Allowance for  Housing for an E-5 with dependents; and 
• An annual books and supplies stipend of up to $1,000.

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