C.M. “Hank” Hancock

The Honorable Hank Hancock will be retiring this year after serving 20 years as representative of the 57th House district in the Kentucky Legislature. For all of those 20 years, he has been involved in state transportation matters and, for over 15 of those years, he has had a leadership role in transportation and budget legislation.

Representative Hancock was first elected to the Kentucky House in 1974 and became Chairman of the Highway and Traffic Committee in 1978. In 1980, he became Speaker Pro-Tem of the House. This position also included membership on the Committee on Committees and the Rules Committee of the House.

He was again assigned to the Transportation Committee in 1982 and presently serves both on the Transportation Committee and on the Appropriations and Revenue Committee. As Chairman of the Subcommittee of Budget Review on Transportation, he has an overview of all transportation funding for Kentucky. He also is Chairman of the Transportation Subcommittee on Oversight of Highway Construction.

Representative Hancock has supported transportation during his entire legislative tenure, even though strong positions favoring additional funding for transportation have often been controversial. He also has been a front runner to assure that road funds are spend for road-fund purposes.

Representative Hancock firmly advocates that those involved in transportation should be interested in moving persons and goods without regard to mode, although this has not been a popular belief with the Legislature. He also strongly advocates lowering the bonded indebtedness for Kentucky’s road program.

To help determine Kentucky’s highway needs, Representative Hancock chaired a Special Task Force to Study Highway Needs, from 1990 to 1992. This Task Force assessed transportation and highway needs throughout the Commonwealth, and one result was the development of a corridor plan to connect all county seats via a four-lane highway to the Interstate and Parkway Systems.

He is active in the Southern Legislative Conference, where he is Past Chairman of its Transportation Committee. Presently he serves as a member of the Steering Committee. He also is active in the National Conference of State Legislatures, where he has served as Vice Chairman of its Transportation and Communications Committee.

Serving as the State Representative from Frankfort, he has always fought for the rights of state employees and veterans.

Representative Hancock is married to the former Ann Helburn. They have four children. Their son, Chuck, lives in Florida and their son, Jack, lives in Frankfort. Their twin daughters, Catherine and Kimberly, are students at Western Kentucky University. They have one grandchild, Bradley, who lives in Florida with his parents.

The Hancocks reside in Frankfort and are members of the Good Shepherd Catholic Church. In their spare time, they enjoy camping on the river. Representative Hancock has worked many years in the family plumbing business and is the Executive Director of the Kentucky Association of Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling Contractors.