About 50 Kentucky tea party activists rallied at the state Capitol in support of a bill that would limit state debt and to protest deficit spending at every level of government.

Calling government debt "generational theft" and "slavery," speakers on Wednesday morning railed against what conservative radio host Leland Conway said was $41 billion in state debt or $9,447 for each Kentuckian.

Speakers included Republican Sens. Joe Bowen of Owensboro, the main sponsor of the proposed statute to require that the state's debt not exceed 6 percent of general fund revenue, and Damon Thayer of Georgetown, who said the legislation is the Senate's first priority.

The bill will be heard in the afternoon by a Senate committee.
The legislation is SB 1.

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