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SB 40 Kentucky Senate · 2026 Regular Session

AN ACT relating to public library district boards of trustees.

Summary
Amend KRS 173.490 and 173.730 to allow a county judge/executive to fill vacancies on a library board, with the approval of the fiscal court, without being required to consider recommendations made the board or the state librarian if the county has adopted an alternative appointment process.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Mar 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Jan 7, 2026 Signed Apr 2, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Current/Final · 5 edits
MODERATE
The bill amends the appointment process for public library board members, primarily clarifying term lengths and establishing a two-tiered appointment system. It mandates that boards first recommend candidates to the county judge/executive, who must select from those recommendations within 30 days. If a candidate is rejected or a spot remains unfilled, the board must provide additional names, and if those are also rejected, the judge/executive gains the authority to appoint an individual of their own choosing.
Scope change
The bill applies to all public library district boards of trustees in Kentucky, modifying how vacancies are filled and defining the specific timelines and procedures for board member appointments.
REQUIREMENT

Changed the initial appointment timeline from 'immediately' to 'within thirty (30) days' for the county judge/executive to select a board member from the board's recommendations.

Added a mandatory second step where the board must submit additional recommended candidates if the judge/executive rejects the first set or leaves a vacancy unfilled.

Granted the county judge/executive the authority to appoint an individual of their own choice if all recommended candidates are rejected or vacancies remain after the second round of recommendations.

Updated the term structure for initial appointees to ensure staggered terms of two, three, and four years, with specific rules for boards with numbers of members not divisible by three.

Replaced the requirement for appointees to live in the county with a general commitment to library services, removing the residency restriction for the initial appointment phase.

Floor votes · Senate Jan 23, 2026

How they voted

40–1
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 44
Jan 23, 2026
D Democratic6
6 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican38
34 Yea 1 Nay 3
89% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
22
Key actions
6
Committee
6
Mar 27, 2026
Introduced
filed without Governor's signature with the Secretary of State
upper
Mar 20, 2026
Lower · Passed
enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House
lower
Mar 20, 2026
Upper · Passed
enrolled, signed by President of the Senate
upper
Mar 19, 2026
Upper · Passed
3rd reading, passed 84-7
upper
Mar 17, 2026
Upper · Passed
reported favorably, 2nd reading, to Rules
upper
Mar 5, 2026
Committee
to Local Government (H)
lower
Jan 27, 2026
Committee
to Committee on Committees (H)
lower
Jan 23, 2026
Upper · Passed
3rd reading, passed with 34-1 Committee Substitute (1)
upper
Jan 21, 2026
Upper · Passed
reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1)
upper
Jan 12, 2026
Committee
to State & Local Government (S)
upper
Jan 7, 2026
Committee
to Committee on Committees (S)
upper
Jan 7, 2026
Introduced
introduced in Senate
upper
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.