And speaking of Kentucky, there’s a proposed law in the state legislature we think should get across the finish line.
The 150th Kentucky Derby is happening this weekend. Now, normally the Alliance for American Manufacturing doesn’t pay a ton of attention to the big horse race, with the exception of offering a few ideas for Made in USA hats and fascinators.
But this year — this year is different. As it turns out, many of the horses on this year’s leaderboard have names that really touch our heart.
There’s Just Steel, who had 33-1 odds as of Thursday afternoon. Then there’s Catching Freedom, who had 9-1 odds and is considered one of the favorites to win the big race.
But there’s one horse who stole our heart (from the name alone, to be clear, most of us* don’t know all that much about actual horse racing): Domestic Product. With 35-1 odds as of Thursday, Domestic Product is a bit of a longshot to win on Saturday, but we’ve got to say — he’s the horse whose name is most on point for us.
That’s because there’s currently a bill making its way through the Kentucky legislature right now that would give preference to domestic product for state taxpayer-funded contracts. House Bill 326 would “require that state and local contracts contain a provision that any iron, steel, aluminum, or manufactured goods used in state and local projects be manufactured in the United States unless a waiver is granted.”
If passed, this piece of Buy America legislation would mean Kentucky will join states like New York, Texas, California, New Jersey, Oregon, New Hampshire, Illinois, Oregon, Ohio, and Indiana who have put laws into place making sure American workers and manufacturers get the first shot when taxpayer money is used to purchase goods for government projects.
Buy America just makes sense. Why should Kentucky send taxpayer money overseas when it can seize the opportunity to reinvest it right back into local workers, manufacturers and communities?
We strongly encourage the Kentucky legislature to get House Bill 326 across the finish line, and hope Gov. Andy Beshear signs the bill should it reach his desk. In the meantime, we’re counting down to Saturday and the most exciting two minutes in all of sports.
*For the record, AAM’s Jeff Bonior is a former sportswriter and has a strong knowledge of horse racing.