Sen. Gary Boswell, R-Owensboro, announced that Senate Bill 71 has officially passed the Kentucky Senate, marking a step toward what he calls greater local control and accountability in library board governance.
The bill reforms how public library district board members are appointed, shifting authority from the state librarian to county judges-executive, with Fiscal Court approval. Currently, the state librarian selects two candidates for consideration, a process Boswell previously criticized as a bureaucratic hurdle. Boswell said 71 aligns library board appointments with other local boards, ensuring those responsible for approving library tax rates also control board selections.
He added that the change will simplify the process and remove unnecessary division over appointments, referencing recent disputes in Daviess County.
“This bill simplifies the appointment process by eliminating unnecessary disunity in our communities,” Boswell previously said. “People call each other names … the things they were saying about (one person) were awful, and it’s not necessary.”
With SB 71’s passage in the Senate, Boswell reiterated his stance on strengthening local governance.
“This bill is a significant step forward in ensuring greater local control and accountability in the governance of our public library district boards,” he said. “By reforming the appointment process, SB 71 empowers county judge/executives to appoint library board members with fiscal court approval and remove the unnecessary involvement of the state librarian.”
Boswell expressed gratitude for the support of his colleagues and said he looks forward to seeing SB 71 “strengthen local governance across Kentucky.”
The bill now moves to the House for consideration.
More information on SB 71 and other 2025 legislative measures can be found at Legislature.ky.gov.
