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In November 2007, voters elected Jack Conway as the 49th Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Jack is committed to working with local leaders and law-enforcement officers to make Kentucky a safer place to live, work and raise a family.
As Attorney General, Jack has followed through on his commitment to vigorously prosecute child predators and crack down on Internet crimes. In June 2008, Jack created a Cybercrimes Unit to investigate online solicitations of minors, scams and identity theft. In its first year, the Cybercrimes Unit has launched 50 child pornography investigations and seized more than 34,000 images and videos. The Cybercrimes Unit also processes digital evidence found on cell phones and computers – reducing the turnaround time for investigators. It is estimated that 80 percent of crimes now involve some sort of digital forensic evidence. The Cybercrimes Unit holds training for police and prosecutors across Kentucky in how to process and preserve that evidence. Attorney General Conway also visits schools in every corner of the Commonwealth to educate students, teachers and parents about how to safely use social-networking sites.
During the 2009 legislative session, General Conway crafted comprehensive cybersafety legislation that was unanimously passed by the Kentucky House and Senate. House Bill 315 brings Kentucky law up-to-date with changes in technology by banning registered sex offenders from using social-networking sites that are frequented by minors; creating the crimes of cyberstalking and phishing; granting the Office of the Attorney General administrative subpoena power to investigate child predator or cyberstalking cases; making it a crime to transmit live sexual images via electronic networks; and allowing investigators to seize assets of criminals who try to prey on Kentucky kids. The bill will become law in late June or 90 days after the legislative session ends.
General Conway is a member of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) task force that is working with MySpace and Facebook to create parental safety controls, sweep sex offenders off the sites and develop age-verification software. In addition, Jack serves on NAAG’s Youth Access to Alcohol Committee, leading efforts to curb underage drinking.
Attorney General Conway has kept his pledge to help fight illegal drugs in Kentucky communities. He reorganized sworn officers in the Department of Criminal Investigations to focus on combating drug abuse. He received the “Soaring Eagle” award from Operation Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment and Education (UNITE) for his efforts to fight prescription drug abuse. The Office of the Attorney General also received UNITE’s “Most Valuable Agency” award for its participation in joint investigations.
In August of 2009, Conway announced the formation of Kentucky's first statewide prescription drug task force. The task force will coordinate efforts with law enforcement officers throughout the Commonwealth to keep prescription pills out of the hands of our children and out of our communities.
General Conway is committed to protecting consumers. In July 2008, he launched an investigation into the wholesale price of gasoline in Kentucky. He has subpoenaed information from suppliers and refiners and asked the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice and the Office of Government Accountability to review the merger of Marathon and Ashland Oil.
In November 2008, Jack was one of 24 elected public officials from across the country chosen to participate in the Aspen Institute-Rodel Fellowships in Public Leadership program. Established in 2005, the institute works to enhance American democracy by convening the nation's most promising young political leaders in a casual, bipartisan setting to explore the underlying values and principles of western democracy, the relationship between individuals and their community, and the responsibilities of public leadership.
Even facing 20 percent budget cuts, since taking office in January 2008, Jack has saved taxpayers more than $160 million by recovering $63 million for the Kentucky Medicaid Program, intervening to halt more than $91 million in proposed utility rate increases and receiving almost $7 million in consumer protection restitution and fines.
Prior to his election, Jack worked as a private attorney. He spent six years in senior-level cabinet positions in former Kentucky Governor Paul Patton’s administration. Jack worked closely with lawmakers to craft comprehensive school-safety legislation and helped author legislation that imposed and enforced tougher sentences on violent offenders.
Jack's roots as a Kentuckian run deep. He is a direct descendent of the first European settler in Kentucky, Dr. Thomas Walker, whose cabin is memorialized in the Dr. Thomas Walker State Park in Barbourville, KY. Jack's father, Tom, was born on a family farm in Western Kentucky's Union County. He put himself through law school at night at the University of Louisville, while teaching history during the day at Fairdale High School. Jack's mother, Barbara, grew in up in Louisville's South End, the daughter of a union blacksmith.
Jack is the oldest of four children and is a graduate of St. Xavier High School in Louisville, KY. He holds an undergraduate degree in public policy from Duke University. While in college, he studied at Cambridge University in England. He graduated with honors from the National Law Center at George Washington University. While in Washington, D.C., he worked with the U.S. Attorney’s office on criminal justice issues and for the House Banking Committee.
Jack is a member of NAAG, the Democratic Attorneys General Association, the Kentucky Bar Association and the Louisville Bar Association. He previously served on the boards of the Muhammad Ali Center and the African American Heritage Center.
Jack is married to Elizabeth Davenport Conway. He and Elizabeth are the proud parents of a daughter, Eva.