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SB 10 Kentucky Senate · 2026 Regular Session

AN ACT proposing to amend Section 77 of the Constitution of Kentucky relating to limiting the Governor's ability to grant pardons and commute sentences.

Summary
Propose to amend Section 77 of the Constitution of Kentucky to prohibit the Governor's ability to grant pardons or commute sentences beginning 60 days prior to a gubernatorial election and ending at that gubernatorial inauguration; amend Section 240 of the Constitution of Kentucky to conform; provide ballot language; submit to voters for ratification or rejection.
Issues: ✗ Criminal JusticeOpposes Criminal JusticeRestricts Governor's clemency powers during election cycles, limiting sentence commutations and pardons, opposing reform efforts to reduce incarceration.90% confidence
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Apr 2026
House Passage
Apr 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Jan 8, 2026 Signed Apr 1, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced → Current/Final · 4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was significantly streamlined by removing a proposal to amend Section 240 of the Kentucky Constitution, which previously allowed the Governor to pardon individuals involved in duels after five years. The remaining text now focuses solely on amending Section 77 to limit the Governor's general pardon power. Additionally, the bill's formatting was updated from a draft version to an official engrossed version, and the timeline for voter ratification was adjusted to align with specific constitutional sections and state statutes.
Scope change
The bill's scope was narrowed from proposing two separate constitutional amendments (one regarding duels and one regarding general pardons) to proposing only one amendment regarding general pardons.
SCOPE

Deleted the proposal to amend Section 240 of the Constitution, which would have created a specific five-year waiting period for pardoning individuals involved in duels.

REQUIREMENT

Updated the text to reflect that the proposed amendment only applies to Section 77 of the Constitution, removing references to Section 240.

TECHNICAL

Changed the bill status from a draft introduction to an official engrossed version, updating page numbers and document identifiers.

TIMELINE

Adjusted the certification and publication timeline instructions to reference specific sections of the Act rather than the deleted Section 3.

Floor votes · Senate Jan 20, 2026

How they voted

41–0
Passed · 3 other
Total votes 44
Jan 20, 2026
D Democratic6
5 Yea 1
83% Yea
R Republican38
36 Yea 2
94% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
24
Key actions
9
Committee
6
Amendments
2
Apr 1, 2026
Lower · Passed
enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House
lower
Apr 1, 2026
Upper · Passed
enrolled, signed by President of the Senate
upper
Apr 1, 2026
Upper · Passed
passed 36-1
upper
Apr 1, 2026
Upper · Passed
Senate concurred in Floor Amendment (1) and Floor Amendment (2-title)
upper
Apr 1, 2026
Introduced
posted for passage for concurrence in House Floor Amendment (1) and Floor Amendment (2-title)
upper
Apr 1, 2026
Committee
to Rules (S)
upper
Apr 1, 2026
Upper · Passed
3rd reading, passed 82-12 with Floor Amendment (1) and Floor Amendment (2-title)
upper
Apr 1, 2026
Upper · Passed
floor amendment (1) adopted
upper
Mar 26, 2026
Introduced
floor amendments (1) and (2-title) filed
upper
Mar 26, 2026
Upper · Passed
reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar
upper
Mar 13, 2026
Committee
to Elections, Const. Amendments & Intergovernmental Affairs (H)
lower
Jan 20, 2026
Upper · Passed
3rd reading, passed 36-0-1
upper
Jan 14, 2026
Upper · Passed
reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar
upper
Jan 12, 2026
Committee
to State & Local Government (S)
upper
Jan 8, 2026
Committee
to Committee on Committees (S)
upper
Jan 8, 2026
Introduced
introduced in Senate
upper
0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.