Kentucky Senate Republicans named their committee chairs on Monday, a little more than a month before the General Assembly convenes for its 2025 regular session.
Republicans hold a supermajority in both the Senate and House, giving them the coveted power to chair committees. A few chair positions were open in the chamber following the impending retirements of some longtime senators, including Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Whitney Westerfield, of Fruit Hill. Westerfield will be succeeded by Sen. Brandon J. Storm, R-London.
mageAccording to a Senate GOP press release, vice chairs of the Senate standing committees and Senate co-chairs of the statutory committees were also announced. The committee assignments will go into effect starting with the 2025 General Assembly on Jan. 7.
Republican Senate President Robert Stivers, of Manchester said in a statement that the Senate has “a wide variety of legislative needs with ample leadership opportunities.”
“I am confident in each of these individuals and in the deep bench we already have,” said Stivers. “Our caucus continues to mature and adapt to the needs of Kentucky residents and I’m excited about the changes we’ll see with our new administration taking this country in a thoughtful, deliberate direction.”
Republicans in both the Senate and House elected their leadership members last month ahead of the 2025 session, which begins in January.
Here’s the list of Senate committee chairs and vice chairs:
- Agriculture Chair Sen. Jason Howell, R-Murray, and Vice Chair Sen. Gary Boswell, R-Owensboro.
- Appropriations & Revenue Chair Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ryland Heights, and Vice Chair Sen. Amanda Mays Bledsoe, R-Lexington.
- Banking & Insurance Chair Sen. Jared Carpenter, R-Berea, and Vice Chair Sen. Rick Girdler, R-Somerset.
- Economic Development, Tourism, and Labor Chair Sen. Phillip Wheeler, R-Pikeville, and Vice Chair Sen. Shelley Funke Frommeyer, R-Alexandria.
- Education Chair Sen. Steve West, R-Paris, and Vice Chair Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield.
- Families and Children Chair Sen. Danny Carroll, R-Paducah, and Vice Chair Sen. Amanda Mays Bledsoe, R-Lexington.
- Health Services Chair Sen. Stephen Meredith, R-Leitchfield, and Vice Chair Sen. Elect Craig Richardson, R-Hopkinsville.
- Judiciary Chair Sen. Brandon J. Storm, R-London, and Vice Chair Sen. Phillip Wheeler, R-Pikeville.
- Licensing and Occupations Chair Sen. Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville, and Vice Chair Sen. Jason Howell, R-Murray.
- Natural Resources and Energy Chair Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, and Vice Chair Sen. Gex Williams, R-Verona.
- State and Local Government Chair Sen. Michael J. Nemes, R-Shepherdsville, and Vice Chair Sen. Greg Elkins, R-Winchester.
- Transportation Chair Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, and Vice Chair Sen. Donald Douglas, R-Nicholasville.
- Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection Chair Sen. Matthew Deneen, R-Elizabethtown, and Vice Chair Senator-elect Aaron Reed, R-Shelbyville.
Here are the Senate’s co-chairs for statutory committees. Those meet year-round and are co-chaired by a member of the House and Senate:
- Administrative Regulation Review Subcommittee Co-Chair Sen. Stephen West, R-Paris.
- Capital Planning Advisory Board Co-Chair Sen. Gary Boswell, R-Owensboro.
- Capital Projects and Bond Oversight Co-Chair Sen. Shelley Funke Frommeyer, R-Alexandria.
- Commission on Race and Access to Opportunity Co-Chair Sen. Amanda Mays Bledsoe, R-Lexington.
- Education Assessment and Accountability Review Subcommittee Co-Chair Sen. Matthew Deneen, R-Elizabethtown.
- Government Contract Review Committee Co-Chair Sen. Donald Douglas, R-Nicholasville.
- Investments in IT Improvement and Modernization Projects Oversight Board Co-Chair Sen. Gex Williams, R-Verona.
- Juvenile Justice Oversight Council Co-Chair Sen. Brandon J. Storm, R-London.
- Legislative Oversight and Investigations Committee Co-Chair Sen. Greg Elkins, R-Winchester, and Vice Chair Sen. Jason Howell, R-Murray.
- Public Pension Oversight Board Co-Chair Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon.
- Tobacco Settlement Agreement Fund Oversight Committee Co-Chair Sen. Jason Howell, R-Murray.
This article is republished under a Creative Commons license from Kentucky Lantern, which is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com. Follow Kentucky Lantern on Facebook and Twitter.
McKenna Horsley covers state politics for the Kentucky Lantern. She previously worked for newspapers in Huntington, West Virginia, and Frankfort, Kentucky. She is from northeastern Kentucky.
