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A RESOLUTION honoring Senator Jimmy Higdon upon his retirement from the 1
Senate. 2
"Everyone will sit under their own vine and fig tree, 3
and no one will make them afraid." 4
Micah 4:4 5
WHEREAS, Jimmy Higdon was born July 15, 1953, to Cecil and Alice Higdon of 6
Lebanon, Kentucky; and 7
WHEREAS, the oldest of seven children, Jimmy graduated from Marion County 8
High School in 1971, and then earned a B.S. in Industria l Arts Technology with a minor 9
in business administration from Morehead State University in 1975; and 10
WHEREAS, upon graduation, Jimmy Higdon was commissioned as a 2nd 11
Lieutenant in the United States Army; and 12
WHEREAS, Jimmy Higdon returned to Lebanon, Ken tucky, in 1976 and became a 13
partner in Key Market, which later was renamed Higdon’s Foodtown, which he operated 14
with his wife, Jane, from 1986 to 2011; and 15
WHEREAS, Higdon's Foodtown was a local institution that gained notoriety in 16
2010, when video of Senator Higdon tackling a shoplifter went viral. The video also had 17
the added benefit of bolstering the Senator's stance of being tough on crime; and 18
WHEREAS, Jimmy Higdon was elected in 2002 as the State Representative for the 19
24th District, which included Marion, Casey, and a portion of Pulaski Counties; and 20
WHEREAS, for his work in education while serving in the House of 21
Representatives, Jimmy Higdon was awar ded the Joe Kelly Education Award by the 22
Department of Education and was named a "Friend of Education" by the Kentucky 23
School Board Association; and 24
WHEREAS, in December 2009, Jimmy Higdon won a special election to represent 25
the 14th State Senatorial Distr ict, which currently encompasses LaRue, Marion, Nelson, 26
Spencer, and Washington Counties; and 27
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WHEREAS, highlights of Senator Jimmy Higdon's service include serving as Chair 1
of the Veterans, Military Affairs, and Public Protection Committee, serving as Sena te 2
Majority Whip from 2014 to 2018 and Senate President Pro Tem from 2018 to 2019, and 3
serving as Senate Transportation Committee Chair since 2020; and 4
WHEREAS, as Transportation Committee Chair, Senator Jimmy Higdon oversaw 5
record funding for state road p rojects, including $500 million for major state highway 6
projects, such as the Brent Spence Bridge, the Mountain Parkway completion, and 7
construction of the I -69 Bridge. Senator Higdon also spearheaded $450 million in 8
funding for projects in high growth cou nties and for economic development projects 9
through the state; and 10
WHEREAS, Senator Jimmy Higdon also assisted with legislation transitioning to 11
the KAVIS system, which modernized Kentucky’s vehicle title and registration systems, 12
and strongly advocated for expansion of driver licensing and testing centers; and 13
WHEREAS, equally as meaningful was Senator Jimmy Higdon's work on the 14
Public Pension Oversight Board, which he has chaired since 2019, becoming the General 15
Assembly’s expert on public pension matters , improving the public’s knowledge of 16
pension issues facing the Commonwealth, and shepherding the systems towards 17
improved financial stability that will benefit future generations in this great 18
Commonwealth; and 19
WHEREAS, in 2017, after being approached by a constituent, Senator Jimmy 20
Higdon established Military Kids Day as a recognition and celebration of the children of 21
military families at the Capitol. He has put his heart and soul into this annual event, 22
which has grown from fewer than 40 attendees in 20 17 to approximately 250 participants 23
in 2025, has received national recognition, and serves as a model for improving civic 24
engagement in other states; and 25
WHEREAS, Senator Jimmy Higdon is known for working across the aisle and 26
across state government with the executive branch, as well as fulfilling the unofficial role 27
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of "the Freshman Mentor," working with and supporting newly elected senators as they 1
navigate their new roles in the State Senate; and 2
WHEREAS, Senator Jimmy Higdon has announced that he will retire at the end of 3
his current term, and that the 2026 Regular Session of the General Assembly will be his 4
last; and 5
WHEREAS, Senator Jimmy Higdon's career as a public servant will be 6
remembered by his kindness, decency, and respect to all he dealt with during his career, 7
and his legacy will be that of a good man who did the best he could each and every day, 8
and was subsequently able to achieve great things; and 9
WHEREAS, Senator Jimmy Higdon looks forward to retirement with his loving 10
family, including Ja ne, his wife of 52 years; his daughter and son -in-law Brittany and 11
David Nagle; his son and daughter -in-law, Jim and Alicia Higdon; and his three 12
grandsons, David, Dawson, and Alec Nagle; and 13
WHEREAS, Jimmy Higdon's service to his constituents and the Comm onwealth, 14
his lasting impact on Kentucky's transportation infrastructure, and his legacy of kindness 15
and humanity are indeed worthy of public recognition; 16
NOW, THEREFORE, 17
Be it resolved by the Senate of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of 18
Kentucky: 19
Section 1. The members of the Senate do hereby honor the extraordinary 20
service of Senator Jimmy Higdon to the General Assembly and the Commonwealth of 21
Kentucky and wish him well in his retirement. 22
Section 2. When the Senate adj ourns this day, it does so in honor of the 23
extraordinary service of Senator Jimmy Higdon to the Commonwealth of Kentucky and 24
the General Assembly. 25
Section 3. The Clerk of the Senate is directed to transmit a copy of this 26
Resolution to Senator Robert Stivers for delivery to Senator Jimmy Higdon. 27