Kentucky lawmakers override veto on bill easing faculty terminations

An article from Dive Brief Kentucky lawmakers override veto on bill easing faculty terminations

Under the legislation, public colleges will be able to let go of professors for “bona fide financial reasons,” including if programs have low enrollment.

Published April 17, 2026 Natalie Schwartz Senior Editor

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Kentucky’s Republican-controlled General Assembly overrode Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto this week to pass legislation that could make it easier for the state’s public colleges to fire faculty members over financial concerns. 

Under HB 490, public colleges will be able to terminate faculty members for “bona fide financial reasons,” which include financial exigency, low enrollment in academic offerings, or a mismatch between costs and revenues in a department, program or major. 

Public colleges have until Oct. 1 to establish their policies for removing faculty members under the legislation. Institutions seeking to terminate faculty must inform them why they’re being terminated at least 30 days before their removal and give them an opportunity to respond, according to the legislation. 

In his Monday veto message, Beshear contended that the legislation would create an “ambiguous and vague” new standard for firing faculty members. He also voiced concerns that public colleges could use it to target tenured professors for their politics “under the guise of economic necessity.” 

His objections echo those of the American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers, which had urged Kentucky’s Senate not to pass the bill. The groups argued that college officials could use the legislation to shut down research and silence faculty speech they disfavor. 

State Rep. Aaron Thompson, a Republican who sponsored the bill, argued on the House floor in February that the bill would give college boards “an additional tool in their toolbox to be a good steward for each institution’s future, their students and for the taxpayer.”

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Filed Under: Policy & Legal, Faculty and Staff