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Meet the Members

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Meet the Members

Meet The Members of the Senate Majority

Julie Raque Adams

Meet The Senate Majority Caucus Chair From Louisville - Julie Raque Adams

Where are you from: born and raised in Louisville, KY.

Family you’d like to mention: husband, Jim, two sons, James and Joseph. We have a dog named Birdie and a cat named Miss America and she is a real beauty queen.

Issues most important to you: Children, families, reducing taxes and economic development.

Single most important piece of legislation you sponsored: SB 8 in 2022. Child marriage in xxxx and Tim’s Law regarding court-ordered outpatient mental health treatment.

Personal interests: Tennis, golf and pickleball, none of which I am very good at but all that I really like playing.

Amanda Mays Bledsoe

Meet the Senator from Lexington - Amanda Mays Bledsoe

Where are you from: Lexington, Ky

Family you’d like to mention: Husband Todd, Daughters Mays & Annabeth

Issues most important to you: economic development, tax reform and budgeting, kids and families, public safety

Personal interests: hiking, running, golf, horses, soccer, travel

Gary Boswell

Meet the Senator from Owensboro - Gary Boswell

Where are you from: I am a lifelong resident of Daviess County.

Family you would like to mention: I have been married to my wife, Meg for nearly 50 years. We have 6 children, 3 sons and 3 daughters, including twin sons whom we adopted from Ukraine in 2002, and 14 grandchildren.

Issues most important to you: I am strongly pro-life, so therefore abolishing the practice of abortion is a top priority for me. Also, gun rights , taxes, reduced state taxes, constraints on new or increased taxes.

Personal interests: Active member of Heritage Baptist Church, I enjoy hunting, fishing, and sports.

Jared Carpenter

Meet The Senator From Berea - Jarred Carpenter

Where are you from: Berea

Family Members: Two children – Cole and Cate

Issues most important to you: Financial matters, infrastructure, small businesses, and education

Personal interests: Spending time with children, fishing, farming, and real estate. Additionally, I enjoy being an active member of the Whittaker Bank Advisory Board in Madison County

Danny Carroll

Meet the Senator from Benton - Danny Carroll

Where are you From: Benton, KY

Family: Wife, Teressa and two children, Seth and Maggie.

Issues most important to you: Special needs children, early childhood education and Public safety and support of law enforcement and first responders.

Single most important/significant piece of legislation you sponsored/championed: “Conner’s Law,” which brought stiffer penalties for those who abuse children and the abuse leads to the child’s death, the “Leeper Act,” which lifted the nuclear moratorium in Kentucky, the “911 Bill,” which increased funding to 911 centers throughout the state by imposing a 911 fee on prepaid cell phones, the “Anti Bullying Bill,” which set standards for schools to follow in responding to incidents of bullying.

Personal Interests: Time with children and operating a child care center.

Matt Deenen

Meet the Senator from Elizabethtown - Matt Deneen

Where are you from: Elizabethtown, KY

Issues most important to you: education and the ecomic development. I spent my entire career as an educator and small business owner so these are issues that are very important to me.

Personal interests I enjoy spending my downtime with my family.

Donald Douglas

Meet the Senator from Nicholasville - Dr. Donald Douglas

Where from: Maceo, Kentucky

Family: I am the 14th of 16 children. I am the son of John and Louisa Douglas.

Issues most important to you: Finding ways to reduce medication out of pocket cost here in Kentucky. Improving our education system and identifying legislation that we can pass that will create the best business environment for Kentucky companies.

Single most important/significant piece of legislation you sponsored/championed: SJR-99

Personal Interests: fishing, hiking, jogging and landscape care.

Shelley Funke Frommeyer

Meet the Senator from Alexandria - Shelly Funke Frommeyer

Where are you from: Grew up as the 6th child of 12, across the Licking River on the family farm in Demossville, KY, but have lived in Alexandria, KY for the past 16 years.

Family: Husband Rich, daughters Grace and Mekenzie; sons Josh, Jordan, Jacob Elbert and Jacob Frommeyer; along with their respective spouses and five grandchildren.

Issues most important to you: Economic Development and tourism spurred on by a holistic health revolution. I would like to see the passage of Medical Marijuana legislation so it may be used a holistic health tool.

Personal Interests: Golfing, hiking, paddle boarding, biking, kayaking and gardening. My desire is to grow at least 50 percent of the produce my family consumes!

Rick Girdler

Meet the Senator From Somerset - Rick Girdler

Where are you from: Somerset, KY

Family: Married with three children and nine wonderful grandchildren, including two sets of twins

David Givens

Meet the Senate President Pro Tempore from Greensburg - David Givens

Where are you from: A lifelong Kentuckian, I was born in Pulaski County and grew up in Green County.

Family you’d like to mention: My wife, Laurie, works for the Administrative Office of the Courts. We have a blended family of 5 children. Hannah Givens coaches volleyball in Virginia, Kathleen Dudgeon is a University of Kentucky law school student, Matthew Givens works as a regional director for the Sigma Phi Epsilon national fraternity, Tate Dudgeon is a college student at William and Mary, and Michael Givens is a student at Georgetown University in Washington DC.

Issues most important to you: Education policy which represents 60 percent of our general fund budget, economic development in our Commonwealth and fiscal policy hold the greatest interest for me.

Single most important/significant piece of legislation you sponsored/championed: I prefer to highlight significant, positive policy changes in which I played some role during my time in the General Assembly rather than a single bill. Since I joined the legislature in 2009, we have paid down our pension liability significantly, written budgets that have resulted in the largest rainy day fund in Kentucky’s history, lowered state income taxes from 6% to 4% and possibly lower upon full implementation, funded education at the highest level in our history, raised the rate of pay for teachers and state workers dramatically, increased college graduation rates at a pace on path to our goal of 60 percent of our citizens with postsecondary credentials by 2030 and passed economic development legislation resulting in record growth in our Commonwealth.

Personal interests: I enjoy my family and our farm in rural Green County. I engage in lots of small building projects and enjoy reading and bicycling. My wife and I have been renovating a home near the Frankfort Capitol, and I have enjoyed working alongside her on many such projects.

Jimmy Higdon

Meet the Senator from Lebanon - Jimmy Higdon

Where are you from: Lebanon, KY

Family: Wife, Jane, two children, three grandchildren and a granddog.

Issues most important to you: Maintaining the safety and quality of Kentucky’s infrastructure, supporting our rich bourbon industry and preparing a strong workforce prepared to fill job opportunities.

Jason Howell

Meet the Senator from Murray - Jason Howell

Chris McDaniel

Meet the Senator from Taylor Mill - Chris McDanial

Where are you from: Taylor Mill, KY

Family you’d like to mention: Wife, Renee and 6 children.

Issues most important to you: Foster and Adoptive Issues and Financial Responsibility.

Single most important/significant piece of legislation you sponsored/championed: State police pay raises and legislative pension transparency.

Personal interests: Coaching little league sports, chasing kids, making maple syrup, raising beef cattle.

Steve Meredith

Meet the Senator from Leitchfield - Steve Meredith

Where from - Born in Louisville, but my family moved to Grayson County, where both my parents were raised, when I was eight years old. Except for my years in college, I have lived there ever since.

Family you’d like to mention - Proud father of two sons, the oldest is an attorney who clerked for two federal judges, and serve as our Commonwealth’s first Solicitor General before going into private practice, and the youngest is a physician Board certified in both Family Medicine and Sports Medicine and currently practices in Leitchfield, KY. Between the two, they have blessed my wife, Karen, with 7 grandchildren. Karen and I have been married for 42 years and she taught second grade at Clarkson Elementary School for 32 years before retiring even though she continues to substitute teach on a frequent basis.

Issues most important to you - Having served as a CEO of a small, rural hospital for 30 years, access to quality, affordable healthcare for my constituents is of paramount importance to me; not only as a quality of life issue, but also as an economic engine for rural communities.

My passion is advocating for fair and equitable treatment of our rural communities and addressing the rampant poverty in rural Kentucky. Tackling poverty starts with access to healthcare and quality education and workforce development. Without them, our rural communities will continue to flounder economically and some will, unfortunately even perish.

Single most important/significant piece of legislation you sponsored/championed - I am proud to have been involved in championing legislation of which our commonwealth’s economy is now reaping the benefits - Right to work, elimination of prevailing wage, tackling the pension crisis, eliminating bureaucracy and reducing income tax. Of less importance, but legislation just as impactful on a day to day basis, I am proud to have sponsored legislation to eliminate deductibles for Medicaid recipients which benefits not only the recipients but the healthcare providers charged with providing their care. I am also proud to have sponsored and passed legislation to allow pharmacies to provide 90 day supply of maintenance drugs for constituents rather than requiring monthly trips to the drugstore which placed a tremendous burden upon of senior and home bound citizens.

Personal interests - I have been a runner for most of my entire adult life and it continues to be a rewarding way for me personally to maintain my health and a great stress reducer. But, at this point in my life, my main focus of my personal interests is my seven grandchildren of which my wife and I have been blessed.

Robby Mills

Meet the Senator from Henderson - Robby Mills

Where are you from: I am a lifelong resident of Henderson, Ky

Family you’d like to mention: My wife Vickie, my three children Noah, Caleb, Chelsea and our granddaughter, Halle Ruth.

Issues most important to you: Pro-life issues, economic development, and passing legislation that helps give our rural communities the tools they need to thrive.

Single most important/significant piece of legislation you sponsored/championed: Senate Bill 2, Kentucky’s voter ID law

Personal interests Traveling and spending time with my family.

Michael Nemes

Meet the Senator from Shepherdsville - Mike Nemes

Where are you from: Bullitt County and South Jefferson County.

Family you’d like to mention: Married with 4 children and 6 grandchildren.

Issues most important to you: Construction has started on expanding the Medical Center, at the I 65 Brooks Exit, into a hospital as it was intended. The widening of Highway 44 is long overdue. We have actual money in the budget to start this. Previously it had been in the Road Plan without actual money to do the work. A much needed turning lane at Bullitt East High School is included. Plans are also in the works to fix the I 265 – Bardstown Road interchange.

Single most important/significant piece of legislation you sponsored/championed

SB 27: This bill allows part-time adjunct fire instructors to train firefighters without negatively affecting their pension.
SB 209: This bill allows KSP R Troopers, who are retired officers returning to duty to fill the shortage of officers, to receive normal benefits.

John Schickle

Meet the Senator from Union - John Schickel

Where are you from: Union, KY

Issues most important to you: Preserving and protecting our sacred constitution of Kentucky and the U.S.

Single most important/significant piece of legislation you sponsored/championed: School curriculum and accountability reform and legislation strengthening our rich spirits and horse industries.

Personal Interests: Gardening, pickleball and enjoying the different communities in Boone County.

Brandon Smith

Meet the Senator from Hazard - Brandon Smith

Where are you from: I was born and raised in Hazard

Family you’d like to mention: My wife Laurel and my six children Forrest, Houston, Creston, Grey, Kipling, and Claude Rousseau

Issues most important to you: Natural resources and energy policy, rebuilding eastern Kentucky in the aftermath of the flood, and bringing long-term economic development to eastern Kentucky.

Single most important/significant piece of legislation you sponsored/championed: the Adventure Tourism Bill, which makes it easier for private landowners to willingly lease large tracts of land to government agencies for the purpose of adventure tourism, such as ATV and horseback riding trails, mountain climbing and hiking, by relieving certain liability issues. This legislation opened the door for many exciting opportunities, including the Kentucky Mountain Regional Recreational Authority, which I Co-Chair with my good friend, Rep Chris Fugate. Additionally, two other major legislative achievements were Senate Bill 6, which prohibits abortions after the 20th gestational week, as well as Senate Bill 150, which enables permit-less concealed carry.

Personal interests: I am an avid outdoorsman but what I enjoy the most in my downtime is spending time with my family.

Adrienne Southworth

Meet the Senator from Lawrenceburg - Adrienne Southworth

Family: Married

Issues most important to you: Government transparency, reducing the debt, protecting individual liberties and justice

Legislation: 2022 Senate Bill 62

Personal Interests: Graduated from law school in May 2023, hopes to begin traveling again

Robert Stivers

Meet Kentucky’s Senate President From Manchester - Robert Stivers

Where are you from: Manchester, KY

Family: Wife Regina Crawford Stivers and between the two of them, has seven children and 10 grandchildren.

Issues most important to you: Education, economic development, job creation, and substance use disorder. all of them are interconnected and significantly impact the Commonwealth's overall health.

The single most important/significant piece of legislation you sponsored/championed:

I have done a lot for the coal industry and to help those who have been affected by black lung disease. I also take great pride in the Markey Cancer Center, UK’s research facility, a partnership with the National Institutes of Health; this research addresses diabetes, heart disease, and cancer and attracts top-tier research talent and big checks to the Commonwealth. The KY Research Center has continued to build nationally significant research programs that have produced high-impact studies, recruited renowned scientific leaders and spurred impressive economic growth. We've allocated $265 million (half of the funding from the state of Kentucky) to go toward this research.

I'm also particularly proud of what we were able to achieve with the West End partnership as well as improving the roads in Eastern Kentucky which has helped develop the area’s businesses.

Personal interests: When we are not in session, I enjoy spending time with my family and close friends in southeastern Kentucky.

Brandon Storm

Meet the Senator from London - Brandon Storm

Where are you from: London

Family: Wife, Jaclyn; twin daughters Carly and Anna, and son, Wes

Issues most important to you: Upholding the Constitutional Rights and Liberties of Residents of the Commonwealth

Most Valued Legislation you have sponsored: 22 RS Senate Bill 30 (Organ Donor Bill)

Personal Interests: Volunteering in my community; spending time with family and friends; attending church; and playing golf

Damon Thayer

Meet Kentucky’s Majority Floor Leader From Georgetown - Damon Thayer

Where are you from: Georgetown, KY

Family: Daniel , a graduate of Northern Kentucky University and daughter, Katie, a student at Middle Tennessee State University.

Issues most important to you: Removing artificial barriers to free enterprise for businesses of all sizes and fostering an environment for well-paying jobs.

Single most important/significant piece of legislation you sponsored/championed: Kentucky’s Right to Work Law.

Personal Interests: Horse racing, bourbon, concerts, movies, restaurants and travel.

Johnnie Turner

Meet the Senator From Harlan - Johnnie Turner

Where from: I was born in Pine Mountain, Kentucky.

Family you’d like to mention: My wife Martiza, and my three children Yazmin, Susan, and Johnnie, Jr.

Issues most important to you: I have been a practicing attorney for over 50 years, so judicial legislation is always one of my priorities. I am also a passionate supporter of our public schools so I am very on education legislation here in the commonwealth.

Personal interests I am very active in my church. In my spare time, I enjoy farming and being in the great outdoors.

Steve West

Meet the Senator from Paris - Steve West

Where are you from: Millersburg, in Bourbon County

Family you’d like to mention: wife, Cindy and my three kids, McKayla, Caleb and Eli.

Issues most important to you: Education and keeping the budget in check. Reducing taxes and getting control of executive branch power.

Single most important/significant piece of legislation you sponsored/championed: SB2 in 2021 Administrative Regulation Reform and SB9 in 2022 on early literacy, which Kentucky is woefully behind on.

Personal interests: Cattle farming, fishing, the outdoors, and traveling. And I must admit I am a shameless UK fan.

Whitney Westerfield

Meet the Senator from Crofton, Whitney Westerfield

Where are you from: Crofton, KY

Family you’d like to mention: My wife, Amanda. I love my family and living in the country with its wide open spaces. There is nothing quite like it.

Issues most important to you: Without a doubt, protecting the life of unborn children. Second to that is criminal justice policy and more recently, digital consumer privacy.

Single most important/significant piece of legislation you sponsored/championed: SB200 in 2014 on juvenile justice because of the difference it has made in the lives of countless kids, changing their life’s trajectory for their good and for the good of Kentucky. I’m especially proud that it has become a model for half a dozen other states have fashioned their own after.

Personal interests: Photography and aviation. When I’m not in Frankfort, or practicing law in Western Kentucky, I operate a commercial drone business that combines both!

Phillip Wheeler

Meet the Senator from Pikeville - Phillip Wheeler

Where are you from: Pikeville, KY

Family: My wife Crystal, and our son, Weston.

Issues most important to you: Judicial and economic development issues

Single most important/significant piece of legislation you sponsored/championed: Senate Bill 75; this would have allowed a local government the authority to pass an ordinance allowing for the operation of ATV’s on a roadways under local government jurisdiction.

Personal interests: When we are not in session, I enjoy spending time with my family.

Gex Williams

Meet the senator from Verona - Gex Williams

Where are you from: Verona, KY

Family: I married my wife, Judy, 47 years ago. We have lived on our Verona farm for almost 40 years where besides horses, dogs and cats, we raised our six children, David, Mark, Daniel, Sarah, E Gex and Betsy. At last count, we have 14 grandchildren who regularly visit for “cousin camp.”

Issues most important to you: Government transparency.

Single most important/significant piece of legislation you sponsored/championed: Defeated high-stakes testing.

Mike Wilson

Meet The Senate Majority Whip From Bowling Green - Mike Wilson

Where are you from: Born in Mississippi, but I now live in Bowling Green, KY

Family: Wife, Cammie + 6 children between the two of us

Issues most important to you: Education, Economic Development, Religious Liberty, Veterans Issues, Supporting Law Enforcement

Legislation: 2017 Senate Bill 1: Education Reform

Personal Interests: Travel, Farming, Hunting

Max Wise

Meet the Senator from Taylor - Max Wise

Where are you from: Campbellsville, KY

Family you’d like to mention: I have a wonderful wife, Dr. Heather Wise, and our four amazing children, Grayson, Jackson, Carter and McLean. My mother, Donna Wise, is the only athlete in Kentucky who holds four different Hall of Fame distinctions. She is a member of the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Womens’ Basketball Hall of Fame, Eastern Kentucky University Athletic Hall of Fame and the Campbellsville University Athletic Hall of Fame. Mom has been an athlete her whole life and has coached for 32 years. I’m incredibly grateful for her and the example she set for me and my kids.

Issues most important to you: Education and the economy. Without a quality education as a foundation, you simply can’t grow your economy.

Single most important/significant piece of legislation you sponsored/championed: Every piece of legislation I’ve passed has been significant to me, my constituents, and Kentucky.

Personal interests: I love college football and basketball, and really enjoy watching my children compete in their athletic activities, alongside my wife. I can also hang with the best karaoke singers out there!