Frankfort – Seeking another opportunity to serve the 78th Legislative District in the Kentucky House of Representatives for two more years, state Rep. Tom McKee announced today that he has filed his papers with the Secretary of State’s office.“It has been a true honor representing those who live in our district, which covers all of Harrison, Pendleton and Robertson counties and a portion of southern Campbell County,” said Rep. McKee, D-Cynthiana. “The district boundaries are poised to change somewhat this election cycle because of redistricting, but the core – and our core priorities – remains unchanged.”
Under the new law redrawing the 100 House seats, the three main counties in the 78th District stay the same, but the district now includes northern and eastern Scott County and is no longer in Campbell County.
Rep. McKee, who is a farmer, currently serves as chairman of the House Agriculture and Small Business Committee. During his tenure as a legislator, he has either sponsored or served as prime co-sponsor of several major laws affecting farming.
Those include:
- Setting aside half of the state’s tobacco settlement for farming, providing hundreds of millions of dollars to agriculture over the years;
- Creating a livestock care standards commission, ensuring that the best practices are maintained statewide; and
- Establishing the Farms to Food Banks initiative, which gives low-income families fresh produce from local farms.
In addition to chairing that committee, Rep. McKee also is a member of the Tourism Development & Energy Committee, which he said has helped him better serve the district’s two major parks, Blue Licks State Resort Park and Kincaid Lake State Park.
His other committees include the Local Government Committee; the Budget Review Subcommittee on General Government, Finance, and Public Protection; the Tobacco Settlement Agreement Fund Oversight Committee; the Tobacco Task Force; and two subcommittees focusing on rural issues and horse farming.
Outside of his work in the legislature, Rep. McKee has served as a Harrison County magistrate and was a long-time member of the Harrison Memorial Hospital board of directors. He also was chairman of the State Young Farmer Committee of Kentucky Farm Bureau and is a member of the Kentucky Cattleman’s Association and its chapters in Harrison and Pendleton counties.
Rep. McKee and his wife Sue have two children – Jim, who is head football coach at Scott County High School; and Katie, who is a professor at the University of Mississippi – and five grandchildren. Rep. McKee is a graduate of Harrison County High School and Centre College and is a lifelong member of Cynthiana Presbyterian Church, where he has served as Sunday School teacher, elder, trustee and now deacon.