News Release – The 2023 Legislative Session begins on Tuesday, January 3, 2023. Before the session’s start, the Senate Majority Caucus announced the chamber’s chairs and vice-chairs of Senate standing committees, statutory committees and budget review subcommittees.
Committee assignments are not final until the Senate Committee on Committees makes a formal vote. The Committee on Committees membership comprises both Senate majority and minority caucus members. Committee appointments are subject to change.
About Senate Standing Committees:
To provide an efficient way of deliberating the many issues under consideration during a legislative session, the House and Senate chambers are organized into separate standing committees, which concentrate on specific topics. The jurisdiction of each committee is detailed in the Senate Rules, which are adopted at the beginning of each session. Standing committees meet only during a session, and all proposed legislation must move through them.
Chair: Sen. Jason Howell, R-Murray
Vice-chair: Senator-elect Gary Boswell, R-Owensboro
Senate Appropriations and Revenue Committee:
Chair: Sen. Chris McDaniel, R-Ryland Heights
Vice-chair: Senator-elect Amanda Mays Bledsoe, R-Lexington
Budget Review Subcommittee co-chairs:
Econ. Dev., Tourism, Nat. Resources and Envir. Prot.: Senator-elect Gary Boswell, R-Owensboro
Education: Senator-elect Matt Deneen, R-Elizabethtown
Gen. Govt., Finance and Public Protection: Sen. Mike Nemes, R-Shepherdsville
Health and Family Services (previously Human Resources): Sen. Donald Douglas, R-Nicholasville
Justice and Judiciary: Senator-elect Gex “Jay” Williams, R-Verona
Senate Banking and Insurance Committee:
Chair: Sen. Jared Carpenter, R-Berea
Vice-chair: Sen. Rick Girdler, R-Somerset
Senate Economic Development, Tourism and Labor Committee:
Chair: Sen. Max Wise, R-Campbellsville
Vice-chair: Sen. Phillip Wheeler, R-Pikeville
Chair: Sen. Steve West, R-Paris
Vice-chair: Senator-elect Gex “Jay” Williams, R-Verona
Senate Families and Children Committee
Chair: Sen. Danny Carroll, R-Benton
Vice-chair: Senate Majority Caucus Chair Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville
Senate Health Services Committee:
Chair: **Senator Ralph Alvarado, R-Winchester
Vice-chair: Senator Steve Meredith, R-Leitchfield
**Upon the anticipated resignation of Sen. Ralph Alvarado, Sen. Steve Meredith will assume the chair position for the committee and Sen. Donald Douglas will take the role of vice-chair.
Note: The Senate divided the Health and Welfare Committee into two new committees in efforts to provide opportunities for additional consideration of social service and health service issues. The new Family and Children Committee will focus on child welfare, adult protective services, guardianship, child care, and other social service programs and public assistance programs such as TANF, CCAP and SNAP. The new Health Services Committee will focus on health care and delivery matters such as public health, Medicaid, mental health and health facilities. These new Senate standing committees will include the previous Child Welfare Oversight and Advisory and Medicaid Oversight and Advisory Statutory Committees jurisdiction, which were repealed during the 2022 legislative session.
Chair: Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Crofton
Vice-chair: Sen. Phillip Wheeler, R-Pikeville
Senate Licensing and Occupations Committee:
Chair: Sen. John Schickel, R-Union
Vice-Chair: Sen. Mike Nemes, R-Shepherdsville
Senate Natural Resources and Energy Committee:
Chair: Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard
Vice-chair: Sen. Johnnie Turner, R-Harlan
Senate State and Local Government Committee:
Chair: Sen. Robby Mills, R-Henderson
Vice-chair: Sen Mike Nemes, R-Shepherdsville
Senate Transportation Committee:
Chair: Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon
Vice-chair: Sen. Brandon Storm, R-London
Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection Committee:
Chair: Sen. Rick Girdler, R-Somerset
Vice-chair: Senator-elect Matt Deneen, R-Elizabethtown
For more information on Senate standing committees, please click here.
About Statutory Committees:
Statutory committees are created by law to perform specific tasks related to executive branch oversight. These committees are authorized by the Kentucky Revised Statutes or function as Legislative Research Commission (LRC) subcommittees.
Administrative Regulation Review Subcommittee:
Senate Co-chair: Sen. Steve West, R-Paris
Capital Planning Advisory Board:
Senate Co-chair: Sen. Phillip Wheeler, R-Pikeville
Capitol Projects and Bond Oversight:
Senate Co-chair: Sen. Rick Girdler, R-Somerset
Senate Co-chair: Sen. Steve Meredith, R-Leitchfield
Legislative Oversight and Investigations Committee:
Senate Co-chair: Sen. Brandon Storm, R-London
Public Pension Oversight Board:
Senate Co-chair: Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon
Commission on Race and Access to Opportunity:
Senate Co-Chair: Senate President Pro Tempore David Givens, R-Greensburg
Tobacco Settlement Agreement Fund Oversight Committee:
Senate Co-chair: Senator-elect Amanda Mays Bledsoe, R-Lexington
For more information on statutory committees, please click here.
Additional Information:
Per the Constitution of Kentucky, Section 36, the Kentucky General Assembly must meet annually in Frankfort, convening on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January. In even-numbered years, sessions may not last more than 60 legislative days and cannot extend beyond April 15. In odd-numbered years, sessions may not last more than 30 legislative days and cannot extend beyond March 30.
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