Tagged: amish

A bill allowing Amish buggy drivers in Kentucky to use reflective tape instead of a state-mandated orange triangle is only a few steps away from becoming law.

The state Senate passed a bill addressing the issue weeks ago. And a House committee passed its own version last week.

There are a few differences in each chamber’s bill. The House wants 200 inches of white, two-inch-wide tape on the back of each buggy. The Senate version mandates 100 inches of red or white one-inch-wide tape.

In a high tech world of iPads and smart phones, an old-fashioned Amish man showed that pen and paper remain effective communication devices.   Jacob Gingerich wrote 138 simple, heart-felt letters to lawmakers in Frankfort. The letters are being credited for the Senate's quick passage of a bill that would allow Kentucky's Amish residents to use reflective tape on their horse-drawn buggies instead of bright orange triangular signs that some object to on religious grounds.  The Mayfield resident used no computer, no letterhead, no printer and no copier.

Amish men from across Kentucky arrived at the Capitol Tuesday to watch the Senate approve a bill allowing them to use reflective tape on their horse-drawn buggies rather than the bright orange triangular signs some object to on religious grounds.  The vote passed unanimously and that now goes to the House for consideration.  Murray Republican Ken Winters sponsored the measure that allows buggy drivers to use gray or silver reflective tape to outline their vehicles. Winters says tests show the reflective tape makes the buggies visible up to 1,000 feet away.