{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-171.311","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 171.311","heading":"Kentucky Historical Society.","body":"The Kentucky Historical Society created by Acts 1880, ch. 244, shall have all the powers\nand liabilities of a corporation and there is hereby granted to the society the following\ncharter:\nI\nThe Kentucky Historical Society shall educate and engage the public through\nKentucky history in order to confront the issues of the future. To that end, the society\nshall collect, maintain, and preserve authentic records, information, and artifacts\nconnected with the history of the Commonwealth and the genealogy of her peoples; and\npromote a wider appreciation of the American heritage, with particular emphasis on the\nadvancement and dissemination of knowledge of the history of Kentucky. The society\nmay receive and hold by donation or devise, real or personal property to any extent and\nmay, by gift, loan, purchase, or otherwise hold books, papers, documents, historical\nmemorials, and any other articles suited to promote the objects of the society in the\nThomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History, the Old State Capitol Building, or the\nKentucky Military History Museum, but all such property shall be held in trust for the\nCommonwealth of Kentucky according to the terms of acceptance.\nII\nAll persons, partnerships, corporations, or associations who shall evidence their\ndedication to the promotion of the objects and purposes of the society may become active\nmembers thereof upon their approval under regulations prescribed by the governing board\nand the payment of annual dues in a sum determined by the governing board. The\ngoverning board may determine classes of memberships and establish respective rates of\ndues. Every member in good standing, including the authorized representative of an\ninstitutional member, shall have the right to vote in person or by proxy, hold office, and\notherwise take part in the proceedings of the society. Membership may be terminated by\nresignation or nonpayment of dues.\nIII\nThe officers of the society shall be a chancellor, who shall be the Governor of the\nCommonwealth of Kentucky, a president, first, second, and third vice presidents, who\nshall be ex officio members of the governing board. All officers, except the chancellor,\nshall be elected for a term of one (1) year at the annual meeting of the society in a manner\nprovided by law, and the president shall be ineligible to succeed himself if he has be en\nelected for two (2) successive terms.\nIV\nThere is hereby created a governing board which shall consist of sixteen (16)\nmembers, the officers of the society, and one (1) person designate d annually by the State\nArchives and Records Commission. The sixteen (16) members of the governing board\nshall be divided into four (4) equal classes, so arranged that the terms of one (1) class\nshall expire at each annual meeting of the society. The class  whose term expires shall be\nineligible to succeed itself.\nV\nThe governing board shall execute all the powers and duties conferred on the\nsociety, except those expressly delegated to the o fficers. It shall adopt bylaws at any\nregular or special meeting. It shall supervise and direct the financial concerns of the\nsociety, approve an annual budget and provide for and fix the salaries of employees,\nsubject to the approval of the Personnel Cabi net. It shall provide for reimbursement of\ntravel expenses of employees and may provide for reimbursement of expenses of officers\nand members of the governing board incurred in performing specific duties assigned to\nthem. It shall appoint an executive dire ctor, who shall be the operating management\nofficer of the society under the direction of the president and policies established by the\ngoverning board, and a deputy director, who shall assume the duties of the executive\ndirector in his absence and perform  such other duties as may be assigned to him by the\nexecutive director. It shall establish and prescribe the duties of such other positions as are\nnecessary to operate the society, and all persons engaged to fill such positions shall be\nemployed by the executive director, subject to the approval of the governing board, which\napproval shall constitute exemption from KRS 18A.005 to 18A.200, and their work shall\nbe under the executive director's supervision.\nThe governing board shall provide for the publicati on or preservation of historical\ndocuments and manuscripts; publish, including by electronic means, an edition to be\nknown as the \"Register\"; provide by contract, subject to the approval of the Finance and\nAdministration Cabinet, for all the printing, publ ication, and distribution of, including by\nelectronic means, reports, books, and other publications calculated to promote and\nadvance the historical interest of Kentucky and augment the society's various collections\nat all times. It shall supervise and dir ect the ordinary affairs of the society; appoint a\nnominating committee; and determine other necessary committees of which the president\nand the executive director of the society shall be ex officio members. The governing\nboard shall cooperate with, provid e assistance to, and coordinate its functions with those\nof the state Archives and Records Commission. It may designate honorary members of\nthe society and it shall have the power to fill any vacancies until the next annual meeting,\nincluding those occurring within its own membership.\nVI\nThe governing board shall hold regular meetings in January, April, July, and\nOctober. Matters to be determined and discussed at meetings shall be furnish ed to the\nexecutive director at least ten (10) days prior to meetings in order that he may prepare and\ndistribute an agenda to each member of the governing board at least three (3) days before\nthe meeting. Special meetings shall be held at the request of t he president or any three (3)\nmembers of the governing board, in which case the executive director shall give written\nnotice together with the agenda of the meeting at least ten (10) days in advance. In an\nemergency, nine (9) members of the committee may waive the provision of notice.\nVII\nThe regular annual meeting of the society shall be held on the first Friday after t he\nfirst Monday in November. The meeting shall be open to all members. Special meetings\nmay be called in Frankfort or elsewhere by the president or a majority of the governing\nboard or by the executive director upon the written request of twenty (20) members of the\nsociety. Members shall have fifteen (15) days written notice of the time, place, and\nsubject of the meeting.\nVIII\nTwenty-five (25) members shall constitute a quorum for the tra nsaction of all\nbusiness at any meeting of the society, and one -third (1/3) of the membership of the\ngoverning board shall constitute a quorum at their respective meetings.\nIX\nThe Chancellor of the Society, at his discretion, may preside at any meeting of the\nsociety or the governing board, or he may participate otherwise in any meetings.\nX\nThe president of the socie ty shall be the chief executive officer of the society and\nshall preside over meetings of the society or the governing board in the absence of the\nchancellor or at his request. He shall recommend the appointment of all necessary or\ndesirable committees and  he shall name persons to comprise committees, except the\nnominating committee.\nXI\nThe vice presidents of the society shall preside in the absence of their successive\nsuperiors in offi ce at all meetings of the society and the governing board. They shall\nattend all regular and special meetings of the society and the governing board and\nendeavor to familiarize themselves with the conduct and operations of the affairs of the\nsociety. They shall aid and assist the president in the performance of his duties, counsel\nand advise the governing board, and endeavor at all times to advance and promote the\npublic interest in the history of Kentucky and its people.\nXII\nNominations to membership on the governing board and to the offices of president,\nfirst vice president, second vice president, and third vice president shall be made by a\nnominating committee or by any member present  at the regular annual meeting. The\nnominating committee shall consist of five (5) members, shall be appointed at the first\nregular meeting of the governing board after the annual meeting of the society and shall\nconsider candidates to fill vacancies in th e governing board and offices which will occur\nat the subsequent annual meeting. The nominating committee shall meet forty -five (45)\ndays prior to the annual meeting and nominate candidates to fill vacancies on the\ngoverning board and at least one (1) cand idate for the office of president, first vice\npresident, second vice president, and third vice president, and file same with the\npresident. Upon the call for the election of officers, the president shall promptly report the\nnomination by the nominating committee together with all other nominations. When more\nthan the required number of candidates have been nominated for membership on the\ngoverning board or more than one (1) candidate for the offices to be filled, the president\nshall call for an election by the vote of those present, together with the number of votes\ncast by proxy, and a plurality of all votes cast shall be sufficient to elect. Where no vote\ncount is required, the president shall cast one (1) vote for each candidate and he or she\nshall be declared elected.\nXIII\nThis charter may be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present and\nvoting at any regular meeting or at any special meeting of the society called for th e\npurpose, provided that written notice containing the substance of the proposed\namendments shall have been distributed by mail or electronically to members not less\nthan thirty (30) days in advance of such meeting and the same approved as an amendment\nby the first General Assembly, meeting after the action of the society.","path":["KRS Chapter 171"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=44487","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:22Z","sha256":"bf0f734afb106a524a03869c3ab0fca8f147d210334bd1b3d97c4b0c50a25bad","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-171.310","next":"us-ky/krs-171.312"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}