Stine
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Legal Newsline) - The Kentucky Senate passed a bill this week that would make the state's attorney general nonpartisan.
Currently, Kentucky is one of many states that elects a partisan attorney general. Some states, however, simply appoint them.
If Senate Bill 5 becomes law, Kentucky would the only state with an elected, nonpartisan attorney general.
The measure, which passed the Senate with a vote of 19-14 Wednesday, is designed to take the politics out of the office.
Senate President Pro Tem Katie Stine, a Republican and sponsor of SB 5, told The Courier-Journal there were no underlying motives behind the bill.
"It just seems appropriate that it would be nonpartisan," Stine told the newspaper before Wednesday's vote.
"There is no malevolent intent to call into question any current or previous attorney general."
According to The Courier-Journal, the bill will most likely die in the Senate.
House Speaker Greg Stumbo, a Democrat and former attorney general, reportedly does not support the measure.
From Legal Newsline: Reach Jessica Karmasek by email at jessica@legalnewsline.com.