A pro-family guide to judging a law
Here are some principles for whether a proposed law will help or hurt. Use them to judge bills that come up during the session. Better yet, give it to your state lawmakers to use.
From Kentucky Citizen Digest, Jan, 1998

Over a thousand bills cross the desk of state legislators every session. Many of them never make it, but many do. In fact, the casual observer of a daily session on the House or Senate floor will wonder how they can know what is in all those bills they are voting on. In fact, many times they don’t.

But even when they do, it’s not easy to distinguish between a good bill and a bad one. And if it’s hard for a legislator to figure out, imagine how hard it is for the average person.

Here are a few standards to apply to a bill, whether you’re a state lawmaker or a just a concerned citizen. If you have a bill you are concerned about and you have Internet access, you can simply dial up the Kentucky General Assembly Web site at www.kde.state.ky.us and retrieve a copy of the bill.

Has this law been tried and found wanting somewhere else?

Frequently, legislation passes that has already bombed in some other state.

Will the bill result in higher taxes?

Remember that the money we gleefully dole out to the latest good cause is coming out of the pocketbook of a hardworking taxpayer trying to support his family.

Does the bill have any bad side effects?

Whatever benefits the bill promises to bring about, may be outweighed by its drawbacks.

Does the bill accomplish a purpose that can be better accomplished by institutions outside of government?

The power of government should not be harnessed for every noble purpose.

Will the bill expand the size, scope or power of government?

As government creeps into more and more areas of our lives, we should be more and more careful of what new powers we give it.

Does the bill address a manufactured political crisis as opposed to a real problem?

Every political leader wants to be known for addressing some particular issue: education, health care, higher education, the list goes on. Does the bill really address a problem, or are we merely padding someone's political resume?

Do we really need this new law or do we need to better enforce existing laws addressing the same problem?

About five times every session, we pass laws in areas where the problem is enforcement of existing laws rather than a need for new ones.

Will the bill replace family functions with government services?

This is a particular problem with education and health issues. We tell parents that we will educate their children, feed them lunch, feed them breakfast and take care of their health needs; then we turn around and ask why parents do not take responsibility for their own children.

Does the bill use women, children, minorities or the disadvantaged as a front for the pursuit of some other political goal?

Just because a bill purports to help one politically important group doesn't mean you should automatically vote for it.

Do the stated intentions of the bill realistically match the likely results?

Watch out for what one state lawmaker calls the "Law of Unintended Consequences."
 

Key Family Foundation Contacts: Kent Ostrander, Executive Director Martin Cothran, Senior Associate Policy Analyst