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Read. Follow. Verify.Kentucky Proposes Constitutional Amendment Requiring U.S. Natural-Born Citizenship for State and Local Officials
Last action · January 15, 2026: to Elections, Const. Amendments & Intergovernmental Affairs (H)Sponsors: Shane Baker and 4 others
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What This Bill Proposed
Kentucky House Bill 259 proposes a constitutional amendment to require that state legislators, the governor, lieutenant governor, cabinet officers, local officials, and state judges be natural-born U.S. citizens and not s of any other country, submitting the question to voters at the next regular election.
The measure determines candidate eligibility rules for numerous state and local elected offices across Kentucky, placing restrictions on individuals holding dual ity or citizenship other than the United States.
- Constitutional amendments in Kentucky require approval by the General Assembly followed by ratification by a majority of voters at the next regular election. context
- The Kentucky General Assembly operates in legislative sessions including regular sessions designated by year and session code. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Candidates for state and local office in Kentucky
Candidates must meet natural-born U.S. citizenship requirements and not be nationals of any other country to be eligible for election.
Kentucky Voters
Voters will cast ballots to ratify or reject the proposed constitutional amendment during the regular election.
Key Facts
- The bill proposes amending Section 32 of the Kentucky Constitution to require state Representatives and Senators to be natural-born United States citizens and not nationals of any other country.
- The bill proposes amending Section 72 of the Kentucky Constitution to require the Governor and Lieutenant Governor to be natural-born U.S. citizens and not nationals of any other country.
- The bill proposes amending Section 91 of the Kentucky Constitution to require constitutional executive officers—including the Treasurer, Auditor of Public Accounts, Commissioner of Agriculture, Labor and Statistics, Secretary of State, and Attorney-General—to be natural-born U.S. citizens and not nationals of any other country.
- The bill proposes amending Section 100 of the Kentucky Constitution to require local elected officials, such as county and city officers, Commonwealth's Attorneys, County Attorneys, and court clerks, to be natural-born U.S. citizens and not nationals of any other country.
Show all 7 facts
- The bill proposes amending Section 122 of the Kentucky Constitution to require justices of the Supreme Court and judges of the Court of Appeals, Circuit Court, and District Court to be natural-born U.S. citizens and not nationals of any other country.
- The constitutional amendment question must be published in a newspaper of general circulation no later than the first Tuesday in August preceding the election.
- The Secretary of State must certify the constitutional question to county clerks by specified deadlines in August or September depending on whether a presidential election is occurring.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which elected offices are affected by the citizenship requirements in this bill?
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News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
2 actions- Jan 15, 2026HouseCommitteeto Elections, Const. Amendments & Intergovernmental Affairs (H)
- Jan 8, 2026HouseIntroducedintroduced in House to Committee on Committees (H)
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Expansion of Citizenship Mandates
The measure systematically updates multiple articles of the state constitution to impose a uniform natural-born citizenship restriction across legislative, executive, local, and judicial offices.
Connected Entities
Sources
apps.legislature.ky.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 80)
- Controversy65Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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