CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT OFFERING REASONABLE RESTRICTIONS AND TRANSPARENCY RELATED TO GUBERNATORIAL PARDONS TO GO BEFORE THE VOTERS

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT OFFERING REASONABLE RESTRICTIONS AND TRANSPARENCY RELATED TO GUBERNATORIAL PARDONS  TO GO BEFORE THE VOTERS

Sen. Chris McDaniel’s proposed constitutional amendment, Senate Bill 10, reaches final passage

FRANKFORT, KY (April 1, 2026) — Sen. Chris McDaniel’s proposal to restrict a governor’s pardon powers 60-days before a gubernatorial election and up until the inauguration of the next gubernatorial term, Senate Bill (SB) 10, was approved by the state House of Representatives on Wednesday. The proposed constitutional amendment will now head to a future general election ballot.


Designated as a priority bill by Senate leadership, the pardon reform proposal, if adopted by a simple majority of Kentucky voters, would amend the Constitution of Kentucky.

“After years of persistence, I am incredibly grateful to my colleagues for sending this proposal to the ballot so that the voting public can determine if they, like myself, want unchecked gubernatorial pardon power to operate with greater accountability and within more reasonable parameters,” McDaniel said. 

“My message to Kentucky voters is simple: If you were outraged by the heinous late-hour pardons of the past, take those motivations to the ballot box. Let’s reform our state constitution to better respect the will of Kentucky’s justice system.”

A House revision to the bill removed section 3 of McDaniel’s original version of the bill. The Senate is expected to concur with the change.

Proposed constitutional amendments require three-fifths support in the Senate and do not require the governor's action. 

Find more details on McDaniel’s proposed constitution amendment by clicking here.