Givens takes oath of office in Greensburg

By GINA KINSLOW
Glasgow Daily Times

January 03, 2009 03:33 pm

— GREENSBURG — One of the newest members of the Kentucky General Assembly took the oath of office Friday afternoon in his hometown.
David Givens, who won the seat to represent the state’s 9th Senate District, which includes Barren County, was sworn into office by retired Court of Appeals Judge Thomas D. Emberton at the historic courthouse in Greensburg.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity and continue to be humbled by the response the voters have given me,” Givens said last week prior to taking the oath of office.
Givens defeated Barren County native Steve Newberry in November with 22,708 votes over Newberry’s 18,008. The 9th Senate District also includes of Allen, Edmonson, Green, Metcalfe and Simpson counties.
Givens will serve as chair of the Senate’s agriculture committee and said the committee will be working “very diligently to move agriculture forward throughout the state.”
He, along with other state legislators, will have the task of dealing with the state’s financial crisis at the start of the General Assembly’s session this month.
“We face the well-known budget challenges and I’m thinking there is going to be certainly a short-term focus on any savings we can find, and also, hopefully, finding ways to increase revenue,” he said.
Givens said he is worried that the General Assembly will concentrate too much on immediate concerns without taking time to do long-range planning. He pointed out the legislature is not very far from starting the process of preparing the state’s 2010 budget.
“I hope we can have a long-term frame of reference as well as dealing with the immediate challenges,” he said.
Givens said he would also serve on the Senate’s transportation, education and tobacco oversight committees.

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