Article 1, Constitution Sections

Section 51 Law may not relate to more than one subject, to be expressed in title -- Amendments must be at length. No law enacted by the General Assembly shall relate to more than one subject, and that shall be expressed in the title, and no law shall be revised, amended, or the p…

Section 52 General Assembly may not release debt to State or to county or city. The General Assembly shall have no power to release, extinguish or authorize the releasing or extinguishing, in whole or in part, the indebtedness or liability of any corporation or individual to this…

Section 53 Investigation of accounts of Treasurer and Auditor -- Report, publication, submission to Governor and General Assembly. The General Assembly shall provide by law for monthly investigations into the accounts of the Treasurer and Auditor of Public Accounts, and the resul…

Section 54 No restriction on recovery for injury or death. The General Assembly shall have no power to limit the amount to be recovered for injuries resulting in death, or for injuries to person or property. Text as Ratified on: August 3, 1891, and revised September 28, 1891. His…

Section 55 When laws to take effect -- Emergency legislation. No act, except general appropriation bills, shall become a law until ninety days after the adjournment of the session at which it was passed, except in cases of emergency, when, by the concurrence of a majority of the …

Section 56 Signing of bills -- Enrollment -- Presentation to Governor. No bill shall become a law until the same shall have been signed by the presiding officer of each of the two Houses in open session; and before such officer shall have affixed his signature to any bill, he sha…

Section 57 Member having personal interest to make disclosure and not vote. A member who has a personal or private interest in any measure or bill proposed or pending before the General Assembly, shall disclose the fact to the House of which he is a member, and shall not vote the…

Section 58 General Assembly not to audit nor allow private claim -- Exception -- Appropriations. The General Assembly shall neither audit nor allow any private claim against the Commonwealth, except for expenses incurred during the session at which the same was allowed; but may a…

Section 59 Local and special legislation. The General Assembly shall not pass local or special acts concerning any of the following subjects, or for any of the following purposes, namely: First: To regulate the jurisdiction, or the practice, or the circuits of the courts of justi…

Section 60 General law not to be made special or local by amendment -- No special powers or privileges -- Law not to take effect on approval of other authority than General Assembly -- Exceptions. The General Assembly shall not indirectly enact any special or local act by the rep…

Section 61 Provision to be made for local option on sale of liquor -- Time of elections. The General Assembly shall, by general law, provide a means whereby the sense of the people of any county, city, town, district or precinct may be taken, as to whether or not spirituous, vino…

Section 62 Style of laws. The style of the laws of this Commonwealth shall be as follows: "Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky." Text as Ratified on: August 3, 1891, and revised September 28, 1891. History: Not yet amended.

Section 63 Area of counties -- Boundaries -- Creation and abolishment of counties. No new county shall be created by the General Assembly which will reduce the county or counties, or either of them, from which it shall be taken, to less area than four hundred square miles; nor sh…

Section 64 Division of county or removal of county seat, election required -- Minimum population of county. No county shall be divided, or have any part stricken therefrom, except in the formation of new counties, without submitting the question to a vote of the people of the cou…

Section 65 Striking territory from county -- Liability for indebtedness. There shall be no territory stricken from any county unless a majority of the voters living in such territory shall petition for such division. But the portion so stricken off and added to another county, or…

Section 66 Power of impeachment vested in House. The House of Representatives shall have the sole power of impeachment. Text as Ratified on: August 3, 1891, and revised September 28, 1891. History: Not yet amended.

Section 67 Trial of impeachments by Senate. All impeachments shall be tried by the Senate. When sitting for that purpose, the Senators shall be upon oath or affirmation. No person shall be convicted without the concurrence of two-thirds of the Senators present. Text as Ratified o…

Section 68 Civil officers liable to impeachment -- Judgment -- Criminal liability. The Governor and all civil officers shall be liable to impeachment for any misdemeanors in office; but judgment in such cases shall not extend further than removal from office, and disqualification…

Section 69 Executive power vested in Governor. The supreme executive power of the Commonwealth shall be vested in a Chief Magistrate, who shall be styled the "Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky." Text as Ratified on: August 3, 1891, and revised September 28, 1891. History: …

Section 70 Election of Governor and Lieutenant Governor -- Term -- Tie vote. The Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall be elected for the term of four years by the qualified voters of the State. They shall be elected jointly by the casting by each voter of a single vote applicab…

Section 71 Gubernatorial succession. The Governor shall be ineligible for the succeeding four years after the expiration of any second consecutive term for which he shall have been elected. Text as Ratified on: November 3, 1992. History: 1992 amendment was proposed by 1992 Ky. Ac…

Section 72 Qualifications of Governor and Lieutenant Governor -- Duties of Lieutenant Governor. The Governor and the Lieutenant Governor shall be at least thirty years of age, and have been citizens and residents of Kentucky for at least six years next preceding their election. T…

Section 73 When terms of Governor and Lieutenant Governor begin. The Governor and the Lieutenant Governor shall commence the execution of the duties of their offices on the fifth Tuesday succeeding their election, and shall continue in the execution thereof until a successor shal…

Section 74 Compensation of Governor and Lieutenant Governor. The Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall at stated times receive for the performance of the duties of their respective offices compensation to be fixed by law. Text as Ratified on: November 3, 1992. History: 1992 amen…

Section 75 Governor is Commander-in-Chief of army, navy and militia. He shall be Commander-in-Chief of the army and navy of this Commonwealth, and of the militia thereof, except when they shall be called into the service of the United States; but he shall not command personally i…

Section 76 Power of Governor to fill vacancies. He shall have the power, except as otherwise provided in this Constitution, to fill vacancies by granting commissions, which shall expire when such vacancies shall have been filled according to the provisions of this Constitution. T…

Section 77 Power of Governor to remit fines and forfeitures, grant reprieves and pardons -- No power to remit fees. He shall have power to remit fines and forfeitures, commute sentences, grant reprieves and pardons, except in case of impeachment, and he shall file with each appli…

Section 78 Governor may require information from state officers. He may require information in writing from the officers of the Executive Department upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices. Text as Ratified on: August 3, 1891, and revised September 28,…

Section 79 Reports and recommendations to General Assembly. He shall, from time to time, give to the General Assembly information of the state of the Commonwealth, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he may deem expedient. Text as Ratified on: August 3, 1891, an…

Section 80 Governor may call extraordinary session of General Assembly, adjourn General Assembly. He may, on extraordinary occasions, convene the General Assembly at the seat of government, or at a different place, if that should have become dangerous from an enemy or from contag…

Section 81 Governor to enforce laws. He shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed. Text as Ratified on: August 3, 1891, and revised September 28, 1891. History: Not yet amended.

Section 82 Succession of Lieutenant Governor. The Lieutenant Governor shall be ineligible to the office of Lieutenant Governor for the succeeding four (4) years after the expiration of any second consecutive term for which he shall have been elected. Text as Ratified on: November…

Section 83 (Repealed 1992) Catchline at time of repeal: "Lieutenant Governor is President of Senate -- Right to vote." Repeal Ratified on: November 3, 1992. History: Repeal was proposed by 1992 Ky. Acts ch. 168, sec. 18; original version ratified August 3, 1891, and revised Septe…

Section 84 When Lieutenant Governor to act as Governor -- President of the Senate not to preside at impeachment of Governor -- Certification of disability of Governor. Should the Governor be impeached and removed from office, die, refuse to qualify, resign, certify by entry on hi…

Section 85 President of Senate -- Election -- Powers. A President of the Senate shall be elected by each Senate as soon after its organization as possible and as often as there is a vacancy in the office of President, another President of the Senate shall be elected by the Senate…

Section 86 Compensation of President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall receive for his services the same compensation which shall, for the same period, be allowed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and during the time he administers the government as G…

Section 87 Who to act as Governor in absence of Lieutenant Governor and President of the Senate. If the Lieutenant Governor shall be called upon to administer the government in place of the Governor, and shall, while in such administration, resign, or die during the recess of the…

Section 88 Signature of bills by Governor -- Veto -- Passage over veto -- Partial veto. Every bill which shall have passed the two Houses shall be presented to the Governor. If he approve, he shall sign it; but if not, he shall return it, with his objections, to the House in whic…

Section 89 Concurrent orders and resolutions on same footing as bill. Every order, resolution or vote, in which the concurrence of both Houses may be necessary, except on a question of adjournment, or as otherwise provided in this Constitution, shall be presented to the Governor,…

Section 90 Contest of election for Governor or Lieutenant Governor. Contested elections for Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall be determined by both Houses of the General Assembly, according to such regulations as may be established by law. Text as Ratified on: August 3, 1891…

Section 91 Constitutional State officers -- Election -- Qualifications -- Term of office -- Duties -- Secretary of State to record acts of Governor and report them to General Assembly. A Treasurer, Auditor of Public Accounts, Commissioner of Agriculture, Labor and Statistics, Sec…

Section 92 Qualifications of Attorney General. The Attorney-General shall have been a practicing lawyer eight years before his election. Text as Ratified on: August 3, 1891, and revised September 28, 1891. History: Not yet amended.

Section 93 Succession of elected Constitutional State Officers -- Duties -- Inferior officers and members of boards and commissions. The Treasurer, Auditor of Public Accounts, Secretary of State, Commissioner of Agriculture, Labor and Statistics, and Attorney General shall be ine…

Section 94 (Repealed 1992) Catchline at time of repeal: "Register of Land Office may be abolished." Repeal Ratified on: November 3, 1992. History: Repeal was proposed by 1992 Ky. Acts ch. 168, sec. 18; original version ratified August 3, 1891, and revised September 28, 1891.

Section 95 Time of election of elected Constitutional State officers. The election under this Constitution for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Treasurer, Auditor of Public Accounts, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and Commissioner of Agriculture, Labor and Statistics, shall …

Section 96 Compensation of Constitutional State officers. All officers mentioned in Section 95 shall be paid for their services by salary, and not otherwise. Text as Ratified on: August 3, 1891, and revised September 28, 1891. History: Not yet amended.

Section 97 Commonwealth's Attorney and Circuit Court Clerk -- Election -- Term. In the year two thousand, and every six years thereafter, there shall be an election in each county for a Circuit Court Clerk, and for a Commonwealth's Attorney, in each circuit court district, unless…

Section 98 Compensation of Commonwealth's Attorney. The compensation of the Commonwealth's Attorney shall be by salary and such percentage of fines and forfeitures as may be fixed by law, and such salary shall be uniform in so far as the same shall be paid out of the State Treasu…

Section 99 County officers, justices of the peace, and constables -- Election -- Term. At the regular election in nineteen hundred and ninety-eight and every four years thereafter, there shall be elected in each county a Judge of the County Court, a County Court Clerk, a County A…

Section 100 Qualifications of officers for counties and districts. No person shall be eligible to the offices mentioned in Sections 97 and 99 who is not at the time of his election twenty-four years of age (except Clerks of County and Circuit Courts, who shall be twenty-one years…