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Quick Facts
Personal Details

Education

  • JD, University of Louisville School of Law, 1994
  • BA, Eastern Kentucky University, 1991

Professional Experience

  • JD, University of Louisville School of Law, 1994
  • BA, Eastern Kentucky University, 1991
  • Attorney/Senior Partner, Jones & Hickman, PSC, 2000-present
  • Attorney, Vanover, Hall & Bartley, PSC, 1998-2000
  • Attorney, Gary C. Johnson, PSC, 1995-1998
  • Attorney, Assistant Pike County Attorney, 1994-1995

Political Experience

  • JD, University of Louisville School of Law, 1994
  • BA, Eastern Kentucky University, 1991
  • Attorney/Senior Partner, Jones & Hickman, PSC, 2000-present
  • Attorney, Vanover, Hall & Bartley, PSC, 1998-2000
  • Attorney, Gary C. Johnson, PSC, 1995-1998
  • Attorney, Assistant Pike County Attorney, 1994-1995
  • Minority Floor Leader, Commonwealth of Kentucky Senate, 2015-2019
  • Senator, Commonwealth of Kentucky Senate, District 31, 2001-2019
  • Presidential Elector, Commonwealth of Kentucky 5th Congressional District, 2005
  • Chair, Democratic Campaign Committee, Commonwealth of Kentucky, 2001-2002

Former Committees/Caucuses

Former Member, Budget Review Subcommittee on Justice and Judiciary, Commonwealth of Kentucky Senate

Former Member, Committee on Committees, Commonwealth of Kentucky Senate

Former Member, Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary, Commonwealth of Kentucky Senate

Former Member, Interim Joint Committee on Licensing and Occupations, Commonwealth of Kentucky Senate

Former Member, Interim Joint Committee on Natural Resources and Environment, Commonwealth of Kentucky Senate

Former Member, Judiciary Committee, Commonwealth of Kentucky Senate

Former Member, Legislative Research Commission, Commonwealth of Kentucky Senate

Former Member, Licensing, Occupations and Administrative Regulations Committee, Commonwealth of Kentucky Senate

Former Member, Natural Resources and Energy Committee, Commonwealth of Kentucky Senate

Former Member, Rules Committee, Commonwealth of Kentucky Senate

Former Member, Special Subcommittee on Energy, Commonwealth of Kentucky Senate

Religious, Civic, and other Memberships

  • JD, University of Louisville School of Law, 1994
  • BA, Eastern Kentucky University, 1991
  • Attorney/Senior Partner, Jones & Hickman, PSC, 2000-present
  • Attorney, Vanover, Hall & Bartley, PSC, 1998-2000
  • Attorney, Gary C. Johnson, PSC, 1995-1998
  • Attorney, Assistant Pike County Attorney, 1994-1995
  • Minority Floor Leader, Commonwealth of Kentucky Senate, 2015-2019
  • Senator, Commonwealth of Kentucky Senate, District 31, 2001-2019
  • Presidential Elector, Commonwealth of Kentucky 5th Congressional District, 2005
  • Chair, Democratic Campaign Committee, Commonwealth of Kentucky, 2001-2002
  • Board Member, Building Dreams Incorporated, 1998-present
  • Chair, American Cancer Society, Relay for Life, Pike County, 2002-2003
  • President, Pike County Bar Association, 1997-1999
  • Member, Pikeville Kiwanis Club, 1996-1999

Other Info

— Awards:

  • Eastern Kentucky University, Magna Cum Laude

Policy Positions

Kentucky State Legislative Election 2004 National Political Awareness Test

Abortion

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding abortion.

1. Abortions should always be illegal.
- No Answer

2. Abortions should always be legal.
- No Answer

3. Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
- No Answer

4. Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
- X

5. Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
- X

6. Prohibit public funding of abortions and of organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
- X

7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Budget, Spending and Tax

State Budget: Indicate the funding levels (#1-6) you will support for the following general categories. Select one level per category.

1. Education (Higher)
- Greatly Increase

2. Education (K-12)
- Greatly Increase

3. Environment
- Maintain Status

4. Health care
- Greatly Increase

5. Law enforcement
- Slightly Increase

6. Transportation and highway infrastructure
- Greatly Increase

7. Welfare
- Slightly Decrease

8. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer

State Taxes: Indicate the tax levels (#1-6) you will support. Select one level per tax.

1. Alcohol taxes
- Slightly Increase

2. Capital gains taxes
- Slightly Increase

3. Cigarette taxes
- Maintain Status

4. Corporate taxes
- Greatly Increase

5. Gasoline taxes
- Maintain Status

6. Income taxes (incomes below $75,000)
- Slightly Decrease

7. Income taxes (incomes above $75,000)
- Slightly Increase

8. Inheritance taxes
- Slightly Increase

9. Property taxes
- Maintain Status

10. Sales taxes
- Maintain Status

11. Vehicle taxes
- Slightly Decrease

12. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer

13. Should Internet sales be taxed?
- Yes

14. Do you support legalizing casino gambling at horse racing tracks in Kentucky?
- Undecided

15. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Campaign Finance and Governmental Reform

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform.

1. Do you support the current limit of two consecutive four-year terms for Kentucky governors?
- Yes

2. Do you support limiting the number of terms for Kentucky state senators and representatives?
- Undecided

Do you support limiting the following types of contributions to state legislative and gubernatorial candidates?

1. Individual
- Yes

2. PAC
- Yes

3. Corporate
- Yes

4. Political Parties
- Yes

5. Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
- Yes

6. Do you support imposing spending limits on state level political campaigns?
- Yes

7. Do you support adopting statewide standards for counting, verifying and ensuring accuracy of votes?
- Yes

8. Do you support prohibiting the reporting of media exit polling results until all polling locations in Kentucky are closed?
- No

9. Should Kentucky recognize civil unions between same-sex couples?
- No

10. Should Kentucky restrict marriage to a union only between a man and a woman?
- Yes

11. Should Kentucky prohibit local communities from adopting smoking bans in bars, restaurants, and other businesses?
- Undecided

12. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Crime

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding crime.

1. Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and for hiring of additional prison staff.
- No Answer

2. Support the death penalty in Kentucky.
- X

3. Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
- X

4. End parole for repeat violent offenders.
- X

5. Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
- X

6. Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.
- No Answer

7. Strengthen penalties and sentences for drug-related crimes.
- X

8. Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults.
- X

9. Increase state funding for community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth.
- X

10. Increase funding for state and local emergency agencies to prevent and to respond to terrorist attacks.
- X

11. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Education

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.

1. Support national standards and testing of public school students.
- No Answer

2. Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any public school.
- No Answer

3. Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any private or religious school.
- No Answer

4. Increase state funds for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings and infrastructure).
- X

5. Increase state funds for hiring additional teachers.
- X

6. Support teacher testing and reward with merit pay.
- No Answer

7. Endorse voluntary prayer in public schools.
- X

8. Require public schools to administer high school exit exams.
- X

9. Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.
- X

10. Increase funding for Head Start programs.
- X

11. Provide state funding for tax incentives and financial aid to help make college more affordable.
- X

12. Support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods.
- No Answer

13. Support abstinence-only sexual education programs.
- X

14. Prohibit the sale of "junk food" in public schools.
- X

15. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Employment and Affirmative Action

Employment: Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding employment.

1. Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers and teach skills needed in today's job market.
- X

2. Reduce state government regulations on the private sector in order to encourage investment and economic expansion.
- X

3. Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding, or relocating businesses.
- X

4. Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for children in low-income working families.
- X

5. Increase state funds to provide child care for children in low-income working families.
- X

6. Include sexual orientation in Kentucky's anti-discrimination laws.
- No Answer

7. Increase the state minimum wage.
- X

8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Affirmative Action: Should race, ethnicity or gender be taken into account in state agencies' decisions on:

1. Public employment
- No

2. State college and university admissions
- No

3. State contracting
- No

4. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Environment and Energy

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.

1. Promote increased use of alternative fuel technology.
- X

2. Support increased production of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, and oil).
- X

3. Use state funds to clean up former industrial and commercial sites that are contaminated, unused, or abandoned.
- X

4. Support funding for open space preservation.
- X

5. Enact environmental regulations even if they are stricter than federal law.
- No Answer

6. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Gun

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding guns.

1. Maintain and strengthen the enforcement of existing state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- X

2. Ease state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer

3. Repeal state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer

4. Allow citizens to carry concealed guns.
- X

5. Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks on guns.
- X

6. Require background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows.
- No Answer

7. Require a license for gun possession.
- No Answer

8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Health

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health.

1. Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care through managed care, insurance reforms, or state-funded care where necessary.
- X

2. Transfer more existing Medicaid recipients into managed care programs.
- X

3. Limit the amount of punitive damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
- No Answer

4. Support patients' right to sue their HMOs.
- X

5. Support patients' right to appeal to an administrative board of specialists when services are denied.
- X

6. Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
- No Answer

7. Legalize physician assisted suicide in Kentucky.
- No Answer

8. Allow doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes.
- No Answer

9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Welfare and Poverty

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding welfare.

1. Support increased work requirements for able-bodied welfare recipients.
- X

2. Increase funding for employment and job training programs for welfare recipients.
- X

3. Increase access to public transportation for welfare recipients who work.
- X

4. Limit benefits given to recipients if they have additional children while on welfare.
- X

5. Redirect welfare funding to faith-based and community-based private organizations.
- No Answer

6. Use federal TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) funds to extend health and child care subsidies to the working poor.
- X

7. Support marriage promotion programs for welfare recipients.
- X

8. Eliminate government-funded welfare programs.
- No Answer

9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Legislative Priorities

Please explain in a total of 75 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.
- No Answer