Kentucky Republicans overrode Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto to pass HB 490, a measure that allows public college boards to terminate even tenured faculty for “bona fide financial reasons,” including low enrollment or mismatches between revenues and costs. The override passed 80-19 in the House and 32-6 in the Senate, despite pushback from faculty groups and the governor’s concerns about vague standards. The bill requires 30 days’ notice and gives faculty a short window to defend their positions before boards decide. Beshear argued the measure could be used to target faculty and research for political or ideological reasons and potentially violate existing contractual agreements. National faculty leadership groups—American Association of University Professors and the American Federation of Teachers—warned the new standard could enable closures of departments and shutdowns of research. Sponsors say language already reflects how some universities operate and standardizes decision-making across the system.