Andy Beshear facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Andy Beshear
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| 63rd Governor of Kentucky | |
| Assumed office December 10, 2019 |
|
| Lieutenant | Jacqueline Coleman |
| Preceded by | Matt Bevin |
| 50th Attorney General of Kentucky | |
| In office January 4, 2016 – December 10, 2019 |
|
| Governor | Matt Bevin |
| Preceded by | Jack Conway |
| Succeeded by | Daniel Cameron |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Andrew Graham Beshear
November 29, 1977 Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Britainy Colman
(m. 2006) |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives |
|
| Residence | Governor's Mansion |
| Education | |
| Signature |  |
Andrew Graham Beshear (born November 29, 1977) is an American lawyer and politician. He has been the 63rd governor of Kentucky since 2019. He is a member of the Democratic Party. His father, Steve Beshear, was also a governor of Kentucky.
Before becoming governor, he served as the 50th Attorney General of Kentucky. He held this job from January 2016 to December 2019. As Attorney General, he disagreed with Governor Matt Bevin on several issues, like pensions. He later ran against Governor Bevin and won the election in 2019 by a small number of votes.
He was re-elected for a second term in 2023. This made him only the third governor in Kentucky's history to win two terms in a row. As of 2024, he and Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman are the only Democrats elected to statewide offices in Kentucky.
Contents
Early Life and School
Beshear was born in Louisville, Kentucky. His parents are Steve and Jane Beshear. He went to Henry Clay High School in Lexington, Kentucky. His father, Steve Beshear, was the governor of Kentucky from 2007 to 2015.
After high school, Beshear studied anthropology at Vanderbilt University. He graduated in 2000 with high honors. Then, he went to the University of Virginia School of Law. He earned his law degree in 2003.
Working as a Lawyer
In 2005, Beshear started working at the law firm Stites & Harbison. His father was also a partner there. He worked on cases for different clients. For example, he represented companies that wanted to build a pipeline to carry natural gas liquids. Some people worried about the environment because of this project. He also represented an Indian company that asked for tax breaks from his father's government. Some people wondered if this was fair because of his father's position.
Kentucky's Attorney General
As Attorney General, Beshear often disagreed with Governor Matt Bevin. He sued Governor Bevin several times. He believed Bevin was using his power in ways that were not allowed. This happened while Beshear was Attorney General and also when he was running for governor against Bevin.
Beshear left the Attorney General's office on December 10, 2019. This was the same day he became governor. He appointed Daniel Cameron to finish his term. Cameron was the first African American Attorney General in Kentucky. He later ran against Beshear for governor in 2023 but did not win.
Governor of Kentucky
.jpg)
Beshear became governor on December 10, 2019. In his first speech, he asked politicians from different parties to work together. He wanted them to solve Kentucky's problems as a team.
Soon after taking office, Beshear changed all 11 members of the Kentucky Board of Education. He had promised to do this during his campaign. This was a big move because governors usually don't change the board members before their terms end. Some people thought this went against a law from 1990 that tried to keep the board free from politics.
On December 12, 2019, Beshear signed an order to give voting rights back to over 180,000 Kentuckians. These were people who had been convicted of nonviolent crimes. He said many of these people were African-American and had been unfairly affected.
In April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Beshear asked state police to record license plate numbers of people attending in-person church services. These services were against the state's stay-at-home order. This decision caused a lot of discussion.
In June 2020, Beshear promised free health care to all African-American residents of Kentucky who needed it. This was to help fix health care differences that became clear during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In November 2020, as COVID-19 cases increased, Beshear ordered schools to stop in-person learning. Classes were to start again in January 2021. This was the first time he ordered, rather than suggested, schools to close. Some groups and the Attorney General sued him, saying his order went against religious freedom. However, higher courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, supported Beshear's order.
.jpg)
In March 2021, Beshear vetoed parts or all of 27 bills passed by the Kentucky legislature. However, the legislature voted to overturn his vetoes.
Beshear's time as governor has included several natural disasters. In December 2021, he led the state's response to a deadly tornado outbreak. This event destroyed the town of Mayfield and killed over 70 people. In July 2022, heavy rains caused severe flooding in eastern Kentucky. More than 25 people died. Beshear worked with the federal government to help with rescue missions. President Biden also declared a federal disaster to send money to the state.
Political Ideas
COVID-19 Actions
On March 25, 2020, Beshear declared a state of emergency because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He asked businesses to require customers to wear face masks indoors. He also banned large gatherings, including protests. Some people argued that banning protests was not right because protests have special protection under the law.
In August 2020, Beshear signed an order to release some inmates from prisons and jails. This was to help slow the spread of the virus. Later, a study found that some of these released inmates committed new crimes within a year.
Beshear was criticized for not calling the Kentucky General Assembly into a special meeting. Only the governor can do this. Some thought working with state lawmakers would help address people's needs during the pandemic. In November 2020, the Kentucky Supreme Court said Beshear's emergency orders were legal. Later that month, Beshear put in place new rules to slow the virus. These included closing indoor dining at restaurants and bars, limiting school learning, and restricting gym use.
On June 11, 2021, Beshear removed most of Kentucky's COVID-19 rules.
Economy
In 2019, Beshear promised to bring more advanced manufacturing and health care jobs to Kentucky. This was to help replace jobs lost as the coal industry declined.
Beshear does not support Kentucky's right-to-work law. This law affects how unions work.
The Kentucky legislature voted to give distilleries and breweries a sales tax break on new equipment. Beshear vetoed this. But in April 2020, the legislature voted to overturn his veto.
In June 2021, Beshear signed an order allowing college athletes to be paid for using their name, image, and likeness. Kentucky was the first state to do this through a governor's order.
Education
In 2019, Beshear promised to include a $2,000 pay raise for all Kentucky teachers in his budget plans. He has proposed these raises, but the Kentucky legislature has not included them in the budgets they passed.
Beshear is against all charter schools in Kentucky. He believes that schools run by companies are not truly public schools. He also thinks funding them would go against the state's constitution.
Environment
Beshear agrees with scientists that the Earth's climate is changing. In 2019, he said he wanted to create more clean energy jobs. He also wanted to expand technology that makes coal cleaner in Kentucky.
Gun Rights
Beshear has said he would not support a ban on certain types of weapons. Instead, he supports a "red flag law." This law would allow courts to let police temporarily take guns from people a judge believes are a danger to themselves or others.
Health Care
Beshear supports Kentucky's Medicaid expansion. This program helps over 500,000 Kentuckians get affordable health care. It also helps people with existing health problems. He criticized former Governor Bevin for trying to stop this expansion. As Attorney General and governor, Beshear has supported the Affordable Care Act. On October 5, 2020, he announced the return and expansion of kynect. This is a state health insurance marketplace that was first started in 2013 and later stopped in 2017.
Immigration
In December 2019, Beshear told President Donald Trump's government that Kentucky would continue to welcome refugees. Trump had told states they could choose not to accept refugees.
Infrastructure
Beshear supports a large project to build a new bridge next to the Brent Spence Bridge. This bridge carries Interstates 71 and 75 over the Ohio River between Covington, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio. He hoped to pay for the bridge without tolls, but he was unsure if the state had enough money. In 2021, a top Republican lawmaker in Kentucky opposed Beshear's idea to use the state's emergency fund or extra money to help pay for the project.
In August 2019, Beshear promised to build the Interstate 69 Ohio River Bridge by 2023. This bridge would connect Henderson, Kentucky, and Evansville, Indiana. He believed the project would help the economy in Western Kentucky.
Pensions
Beshear wants to fully fund the state's pension system. This system helps pay retired government workers. The system has a lot of debt. He was against cuts to pensions made by former Governor Bevin. He wants to make sure all workers receive their pensions when they retire.
Personal Life
Beshear and his wife, Britainy, are members of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). They both serve as deacons in their church. They have two children.
See also
In Spanish: Andy Beshear para niños
