Karen Berg (politician)

Karen Berg (born December 30, 1961) is a physician and professor who also serves in the Kentucky State Senate, representing the 26th District. She was elected to the Kentucky Senate (26th district) as a Democrat in a special election held on June 23, 2020, defeating Bill Ferko. She succeeded Senator Ernie Harris, who resigned on April 15, 2020. She is the only Jewish member of the Kentucky State Senate.

Early life
Berg is a graduate of Central High School in Louisville, Kentucky, the University of Kentucky where she earned her Bachelor of Arts, and the University of Louisville, where she earned a Doctor of Medicine in 1987.

She is the daughter of Harold Berg, a physician and artist.

Career
Berg is a diagnostic radiologist. She is also an assistant professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of Louisville.

Berg ran for the Kentucky State Senate in 2018, losing the seat to incumbent Ernie Harris. She won the seat in a special election in June 2020 after Harris announced his retirement. This was the first time in 25 years that the seat was won by a Democrat. She is the only Jewish member serving on the Kentucky State Senate.

She supports Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear’s efforts to reinstate Kentucky's health insurance exchange, a program that was abandoned by previous Republican governor Matt Bevin.

Berg is a member of the Kentucky Antisemitism Task Force started by Governor Andy Beshear on December 21, 2023. The task force was founded as a response to bomb threats across the United States that targeted many locations including Kentucky synagogues.The task force is also responsible for revising training for law enforcement and Holocaust curriculum in Kentucky public middle and high schools.

During the 2023 Regular Session of the Kentucky General Assembly, Berg sponsored five amendments to Senate Bill 150: AN ACT relating to children. Her advocacy for LGBTQ+ youth in Kentucky prevented the passage of the bill.

Controversy:
=== Senate Session Standing Committees: ===
 * Veterans, Military Affairs, & Public Protection (S) (Member)
 * Transportation (S) (Member)
 * BR Sub. on Health & Family Services (S) (Liaison Member)
 * Judiciary (S) (Member)
 * Health Services (S) (Member)

Interim Joint Committees:

 * Judiciary (Member)
 * Veterans, Military Affairs, & Public Protection (Member)
 * Transportation (Member)
 * Health Services (Member)
 * BR Sub on Health & Family Services (Liaison Member)

Statutory Committees:

 * Commission on Race & Access to Opportunity (Member)
 * Public Pension Oversight Board (Member)

Caucuses:

 * Women's Caucus (Member)
 * Bourbon Trail Caucus (Member)
 * Louisville Metropolitan Caucus (Member)
 * Kentucky Nonprofit Caucus (Member)

Personal life
Berg's son, Henry Berg-Brousseau, was a transgender rights advocate and worked as a deputy press secretary for politics of the Human Rights Campaign. In 2015, at 16 years old, he testified against a bathroom bill in the Kentucky state legislature. He died by suicide at the age of 24 on December 16, 2022.