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A RESOLUTION honoring the extraordinary service of Senator Damon Thayer to 1
the Commonwealth of Kentucky upon his retirement from the General Assembly. 2
WHEREAS, Senator Damon Thayer, a proud resident of Georgetown, Kentucky, 3
has represented the 17th Senatorial District since 2003, serving the people of Scott, 4
Grant, Kenton, Fayette, and previously Owen, Counties during that time with the utmost 5
commitment, honor, and integrity; and 6
WHEREAS, Senator Damon Thayer’s 22-year career in public service, which 7
includes the memorable occasion when he grilled hot dogs for his detractors in his back 8
yard during his first re-election campaign, has culminated with a 12-year term as the 9
Senate Majority Floor Leader, distinguishing him as the longest-serving Republican 10
Floor Leader in the history of the Commonwealth—an unparalleled span of time 11
highlighting his political acumen, mastery of the legislative process, and leadership 12
abilities; and 13
WHEREAS, Senator Damon Thayer presently lends his expertise garnered over 14
many years on numerous committees in the Senate, including the Legislative Research 15
Commission; the Committee on Committees; the Rules Committee; the Interim Joint 16
Committee on Agriculture; the Interim Joint Committee on Licensing, Occupations, and 17
Administrative Regulations; the Interim Joint Committee on Local Government; the 18
Interim Joint Committee on State Government; and the Administrative Regulation 19
Review Subcommittee; and 20
WHEREAS, Senator Damon Thayer presided as the Senate chair of the 21
Administrative Regulation Review Subcommittee from 2003 to 2005 and the chair of the 22
powerful and prestigious Senate Standing Committee on State and Local Government 23
from 2005 to 2012; and 24
WHEREAS, throughout his legislative career, Senator Damon Thayer has served 25
with distinction on many additional committees and task forces as they have been iterated 26
in the past and present, including the Interim Joint Committees on Health and Welfare; 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1323
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Judiciary; Economic Development, Tourism and Labor; Agriculture and Natural 1
Resources; Labor and Industry; Families and Children; Licensing, Occupations, and 2
Administrative Regulations; and Transportation; and statutory committees, special 3
committees, and task forces, including the Horse Farming Task Force, where he served as 4
co-chair; Economic Development Task Force, where he served as co-chair; Elections, 5
Constitutional Amendments and Intergovernmental Affairs Task Force, where he served 6
as co-chair; Local Taxation Task Force, where he served as co-chair; Tobacco Settlement 7
Agreement Fund Oversight Committee; Kentucky Public Pensions Task Force, where he 8
served as co-chair; Equine Issues Task Force; Public Pensions Working Group; and the 9
Pari-mutuel Wagering Taxation Task Force, where he served as co-chair; and 10
WHEREAS, Senator Damon Thayer was drawn to Kentucky by his love of 11
thoroughbred racing, and he has used that passion to enact legislation building not just 12
the Commonwealth’s horse industry, but also promoting other Kentucky signature 13
industries including America’s native spirit bourbon, and sharing the beauty of the 14
Commonwealth through tourism; and 15
WHEREAS, Senator Damon Thayer, as a subject matter expert on the horse racing 16
industry, fought to maintain and improve the Commonwealth’s year-round racing circuit 17
by increasing purses through wagering on historical racing machines and the creation of a 18
popular sports wagering marketplace. Senator Damon Thayer also ensured the economic 19
viability of the horse breeding industry for all breeds within the Commonwealth with the 20
creation of the Kentucky Breeders' Incentive Fund, which directs funds to the Kentucky 21
Thoroughbred Breeders' Incentive Fund, the Kentucky Standardbred Breeders' Incentive 22
Fund, the Kentucky Sire Stakes, and the Kentucky Horse Breeders' Incentive Fund; and 23
WHEREAS, Senator Damon Thayer is nationally recognized as a leader of the 24
conservative movement, even earning a distinction from the Louisville Courier Journal 25
as being a conservative’s conservative. Senator Damon Thayer has the distinction of 26
being appointed to the GOPAC Legislative Leaders Advisory Board and serving in that 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1323
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capacity for many years. Senator Damon Thayer shepherded the passage of legislation 1
important to conservatives such as protecting the sanctity of life, upholding Kentuckians’ 2
Second Amendment and other constitutional rights, making Kentucky a right-to-work 3
state, eliminating the prevailing wage for government projects, lowering Kentucky’s 4
individual income tax rate three times, reducing the number of state government 5
administrative regulations, ensuring Kentucky’s ability to meet its electrical energy 6
needs, and forcing special taxing districts to be more accountable to the voters; and 7
WHEREAS, Senator Damon Thayer's decades-long legislative legacy also includes 8
stabilizing Kentucky’s pension systems, redistricting congressional and state legislative 9
district lines twice, strengthening ethical codes for governmental officials, instituting 10
mandatory electronic filing of campaign finance reports, enhancing school safety 11
requirements, streamlining the process to start and expand small businesses, making it 12
easier for veterans to bid on state government contracts, fighting discrimination of 13
pregnant women in the workplace, ensuring excellence in assisted-living services, and 14
making government operations at all levels more transparent; and 15
WHEREAS, Senator Damon Thayer's peerless energy, intelligence, and 16
commitment to his legislative and professional causes have garnered him manifold 17
awards and distinctions, including the Big Hitter Award by the Kentucky League of 18
Cities twice; County Advocate Award from the Kentucky Association of Counties; 19
Friend of Kentucky Cities Award from the Kentucky League of Cities 14 times; 20
Kentucky Chamber of Commerce’s MVP Award eight times; Nonprofit Advocacy 21
Partner from the Kentucky Nonprofit Network; Kentucky Distillers’ Association 100 22
Proof Award four times; American Conservative Union Award of Conservative 23
Excellence, wherein he achieved a remarkable lifetime score of 90 percent from the 24
Center for Legislative Accountability; Champion of Children Award from Blueprint for 25
Kentucky’s Children; Champion of Quarter Horses in Kentucky Award from the 26
Kentucky Quarter Horse Association; Distinguished Legislator Award from the Kentucky 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1323
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County Attorneys Association; Champion for Students Award from EdChoice Kentucky; 1
Friend of Film Award from the Southern Kentucky Film Commission; Friend of Industry 2
Award from the Kentucky Malt Beverage Council; Friend of Vision Award from the 3
Kentucky Optometric Association; Defender of Economic Freedom Award from the 4
Kentucky Club for Growth; Leadership and Presidential Awards from the Kentucky 5
Harness Horsemen’s Association; Kentucky Housing Hero from the Homebuilders 6
Association of Kentucky; Fueling Small Business Award from the Kentucky Petroleum 7
Marketing Association; Kentucky Craft Beer Champion from the Kentucky Guild of 8
Brewers; Legislative Award from the Kentucky Retail Federation; Kentucky Tourism 9
Award for Legislative Leadership from the Kentucky Travel Industry Association twice; 10
Key to the City Award from the cities of Taylor Mill and Independence; Liberty Award 11
for Transparency from the Bluegrass Institute; Defender of Freedom Award from the 12
National Rifle Association; Outstanding Legislative Service Award from the Kentucky 13
Association of Chiefs of Police; Legislative Award of Merit from Associated General 14
Contractors; Legislative Champion Award from Prevent Child Abuse Kentucky; Rural 15
Broadband Advocate Award from the Kentucky Telecom Association; Special 16
Recognition from the Kentucky Sheriffs Association; Special Recognition from the 17
Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners & Breeders Association; Ira & Constance Gray Award 18
from the Scott County Republican Party; Scott County 4-H Council Man of the Year; 19
Outstanding Community Service Award from the Grant County Republican Party; 20
Partner for Commonsense Justice from the Kentucky Partnership for Commonsense 21
Justice; Grayling High School in Michigan Alumni Hall of Fame; recognition in 22
Institutional Investor Magazine as a most influential person for his sponsorship of Senate 23
Bill 2, which reformed Kentucky's pension systems; Champion for Signature Industries 24
Award from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce; and Policymaker of the Year from 25
Gambling.com Group; and 26
WHEREAS, Senator Damon Thayer is the proud and loving father of Daniel 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 1323
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Thayer, a graduate of Northern Kentucky University, and Katie Thayer, a graduate of 1
Middle Tennessee State University; and 2
WHEREAS, Senator Damon Thayer announced that he will conclude his service 3
with the Kentucky General Assembly after the expiration of his present term ending in 4
December 2024; 5
NOW, THEREFORE, 6
Be it resolved by the Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of 7
Kentucky: 8
Section 1. The Kentucky Senate does hereby honor the extraordinary service of 9
Senator Damon Thayer to the Commonwealth of Kentucky upon the occasion of his 10
retirement from this august body. 11
Section 2. The members of the Senate extend to Senator Damon Thayer 12
gratitude for his exemplary service to the General Assembly and the people of the 13
Commonwealth, and wish him well in his future endeavors. 14
Section 3. When the Senate adjourns this day, it does so in honor of Senator 15
Damon Thayer, the Gentleman from Scott. 16
Section 4. The Clerk of the Senate is directed to transmit a copy of this 17
Resolution to Senator Julie Raque Adams for delivery to Senator Damon Thayer. 18