A medical doctor from central Kentucky is the new chairman of state Senate Health and Welfare Committee.
Republican state Sen. Ralph Alvarado is among several new committee chairmen the majority GOP Caucus announced Monday. Alvarado will release Republican Sen. Julie Raque Adams, who was recently elected as Majority Caucus chairwoman.
Alvarado has supported workplace smoking bans. And he has pushed for a law allowing a panel of doctors to review medical malpractice cases before they go to trial. That law was recently struck down by the Kentucky Supreme Court.
Other new committee chairmen include Sen. Jared Carpenter for the Banking and Insurance Committee, Sen. Wil Schroder for the State and Local Government Committee and Sen. Danny Carroll for the Economic Development, Tourism and Labor Committee.