Saying it is well past time for Kentucky to remove a slavery exception from its constitution, state Rep. George A. Brown, Jr., D-Lexington, has introduced House Bill 121, a proposed constitutional amendment that would give voters a chance to make that goal a reality.
Brown says his proposal is important because, “there is no reason for slavery or involuntary servitude to have any type of legal protection. Kentucky needs to join the nine other states that have already taken this step – including Tennessee and Alabama – and to be an inspiration for the 40 others that have yet to do this.”
Under Section 25 of Kentucky’s Constitution, slavery and involuntary servitude are outlawed “except as a punishment for crime, whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.” Brown’s amendment would strike that quoted language.
“That exception mirrors what can be found in the U.S. Constitution’s 13th Amendment,” he stated. “Many others and I stand ready to do what it takes to remove that federal exception as well.”
House Bill 121, which is co-sponsored by Rep. Beverly Chester Burton, D-Shively, will be considered during the ongoing legislative session, which began early this month and concludes in March. Constitutional amendments require three-fifths support of state House and Senate members and then must win approval by a majority of voters during November general elections in even-numbered years.
Brown, who has been a member of the Kentucky House since 2015, added, “We will do all we can to get this amendment on the ballot in 2026. I have no doubt Kentuckians will agree that this exception must go but getting it through the General Assembly is the first step. I am optimistic that we will do just that in the weeks ahead.”
The measure has not yet been assigned to a committee.
(Photo: Rep. George Brown, D-Lexington, courtesy of Kentucky Today)
By Tom Latek, Kentucky Today
