John "Bam" Carney

On December 23, 2019, Carney was hospitalized for pneumonia and organ failure. On January 6, 2020, Speaker pro tempore David Meade temporarily assumed the duties of the House Majority Leader. As of January 27, 2020, Carney was able to do physical therapy for the first time in two weeks, but was on dialysis. On March 6, 2020, prayers were held in the General Assembly and in Adair and Taylor Counties.

In the 2017 legislative session, Carney, the chairman of the House Education Committee, obtained passage of his bill to permit charter schools in Kentucky. Republican Governor Matt Bevin is pre-committed to signing the measure into law. Kentucky had been one of only seven states without such institutions but can offer them as early as the fall of 2018. The legislation was opposed by the superintendents in Carney's hometown. While Carney said that he doubts a charter school will be established immediately in Taylor County, he urged that those sections of the state where the demand exists should be allowed this additional educational choice. "Each of our local school districts {Taylor and Adair counties] are performing exceptionally well, and I want to congratulate the work that our local school districts have done," Carney added.

With Mobley's support, Carney won the Republican nomination in May 2008 over two opponents from Campbellsville. He led the primary with 1,925 votes (41.3 percent). Asa James Swan and Russell Montgomery, a former Democrat, trailed with th 1,636 votes (35.1 percent) and 1,097 primary ballots (23.6 percent), respectively.

A native of the Yuma/Speck Ridge community, Carney is the son of June Gabehart Carney and the late Don Carney of Elk Horn. His maternal grandparents were the late W.J. "Bug" Gabehart and the former Irene Eastridge of Casey Creek. His paternal grandparents were Stanley, Jr., and Christine Carney of Columbia, the seat of Adair County. Carney attended elementary school at Knifley and then graduated from Taylor County High School in Campbellsville. In 1991, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Berea College in Berea, with an emphasis in political science. He later earned teacher certification from Campbellsville University and a Master of Arts degree in educational instructional leadership from Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond.

John Mitchel Owen Carney, known as Bam Carney (born September 30, 1969), is the Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from District 51 (Taylor and Adair counties), Carney succeeded the retiring Republican Representative Russ Mobley, who was first elected in 2000.

Carney was married to the former Jenifer Martin (born May 1, 1968), originally from Springfield. The couple had two sons. He is a member of Living Grace Church. The couple later divorced.

Runoffs are not required for party nominations in Kentucky. In the 2008 general election, Carney defeated Billy Joe Fudge (born April 12, 1951) of Columbia, a replacement Democratic opponent, after the unopposed party nominee, Stephen Doug Mullins (born February 4, 1944) of Campbellsville, withdrew because of health considerations. Carney received 16,105 votes (54.4 percent) to Fudge's 12,263 (41.4 percent). A third candidate polled 1,239 votes (4.2 percent).