A HOME-GROWN LEADER
“Live a good life, and in the end, it’s not the years in a life, it’s the life in the years.” – Abraham Lincoln
Born in Warren County, Michael Lee Meredith grew up on a small, beef cattle farm in Edmonson County. Michael graduated from Edmonson County High School and Western Kentucky with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management. By age 16, Michael was working part time at Bank of Edmonson County. Today, he continues to work at Bank of Edmonson County as a loan officer.
In 2008, Michael was elected and served a two-year term on the Brownsville City Council. These two years would prove to be a launching pad for Michael into local government issues and public service. In 2010, Michael was elected to the Kentucky General Assembly to represent the 19th District. He has continued to represent the 19th District which now includes Edmonson County and a portion of Warren County.
Michael and his wife, Jamie, live on Jamie’s family farm in Oakland with their two daughters, Emorie and Darby. Living on a fifth-generation row crop farm, they see first-hand that farming isn’t just an occupation; it is a way of life. They hope to instill a love for the land and an appreciation for our farming community in their two young daughters. Michael and Jamie can both be found on the family farm from time to time helping during harvest. And, it isn’t uncommon to see Emorie and Darby riding around the farm in a piece of John Deere equipment or visiting the neighboring Holsteins.
Michael remains active in the community as a member of the Edmonson County Lions Club, Edmonson County Community Education Advisory Committee and Edmonson County Leadership Alumni. He has also served as a member of the Edmonson County Tourism Commission, the Edmonson County High School Youth Service Center Advisory Board, and the LifeSkills Inc. Board of Directors.
A DEDICATED PUBLIC SERVANT
“Government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.” – Ronald Reagan
Representative Meredith believes in a commonsense, conservative approach to government, one that promotes the primacy of each Kentuckian and opposes large, intrusive government. He recognizes that government, just like its citizens, must live within its means. Leaving a mountain of debt for the next generation is simply unacceptable. Michael understands growth and opportunity come from sound fiscal policies and investment in infrastructure.
Representative Meredith is a strong advocate for agriculture. He works diligently for our first responders and volunteer fire departments. His background in small business gives him a unique perspective on the job-killing regulations and taxes that plague our small business community.
Michael’s advocacy has been recognized and endorsed by several groups during his tenure in the General Assembly, including the National Federation of Independent Business-Kentucky, the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Associated General Contractors of Kentucky, Kentucky League of Cities, the National Rifle Association, and Kentucky Right to Life.
In 2017, Representative Meredith was honored by the Military Officers of America, Cumberland Trace Chapter, for his work to bring a veteran’s nursing home to Bowling Green. A study by the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs had previously concluded that south central Kentucky was the area most in need of a veteran’s nursing home. Rep. Meredith championed legislation which committed $10.5 million in matching state bond funds for the facility. In 2020 Rep. Meredith went to work again to secure another $2.5 million dollars for the project due to the fact that the Kentucky Department of Veterans Affairs did not have enough funds in their reserves to do needed maintenance on facilities in other areas of the state and the necessary design and pre-construction work for the Bowling Green facility.
Representative Meredith is focused on the needs and wants of the people of the 19th District. He carries OUR values to Frankfort. Michael Meredith doesn’t back down to the fight in Frankfort to make Kentucky a healthy, safe, and business friendly place to live.
Recent Accomplishments for Edmonson and Warren Counties
We’ve had great success over the last several years, including but not limited to:
- Secured funding for a state-of-the-art nursing facility for veterans in South Central Kentucky, by passing legislation to get $14 million dollars from the state and $19.5 million from the feds.
- Protected our small churches from being fined over workers compensation.
- Ensured that we get the cheapest price possible when purchasing prescription drugs by passing a prescription price transparency bill.
- Protected consumers and Kentucky’s cattle farmers against misleading advertising so you know whether you are purchasing real meat from an animal or protein products that were grown in a laboratory.
- Created a program for both paid and volunteer firefighters to address PTSD and other job-related stresses that often occur in their line of duty.
- Received $70,000 for the Edmonson County Court House to relieve parking issues in Brownsville.
- Advocated for the lives of our unborn with a 100% pro-life voting record during a time in which Kentucky has become a leader in pro-life legislation.
- Protected our Second Amendment right to gun ownership with a 100% pro-gun voting record.
- Supported our first responders, by leading efforts to increase state aid funding for our volunteer fire departments and incentive pay for police officers and paid firefighters.
- Making your voices heard through leadership positions as Chair of both the House Local Government Committee and the Jail and Corrections Reform Task Force.