Editing Kentucky Colonel (section)

=== Involvement in the nomination process ===
In 2016, Governor [[Matt Bevin]] briefly suspended the program to conduct a review of the requirements for receiving the title and then changed the nomination process so that "only active members of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels" were allowed to make recommendations for the honor.<ref name="ChangesProcess">{{cite web |date=June 6, 2016 |title=Governor announces changes to Kentucky Colonel nomination process |url=http://www.wkyt.com/content/news/Governor-announces-changes-to-Kentucky-Colonel-nomination-process-381997951.html |access-date=September 28, 2017 |website=WKYT}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Loftus |first=Tom |title=Kentucky Colonels are back |url=https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/ky-governor/2016/06/06/kentucky-colonels-back/85495846/ |date=June 6, 2016|website=The Courier-Journal}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ladd |first=Sarah |title=Kentucky Colonels sue 'Kentucky Colonels International' over copyright infringement |url=https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2020/02/24/kentucky-colonels-sue-kentucky-colonels-international-copyright-infringement/4861303002/|date=February 24, 2020 |website=The Courier-Journal}}</ref> Up to that point in time, the longstanding practice had been that recommendations could be submitted by anyone who already was a Kentucky colonel, without any requirement for donations or membership in any particular organization.<ref name="ChangesProcess" />  The nomination process was changed under Governor [[Andy Beshear]]. Beshear had the nomination process frozen starting in December 2019. In February 2020, Governor Beshear removed the requirement that the nominators be among those previously designated as Kentucky Colonels.<ref name="BizFirst">{{cite web |last=Finlay |first=Marty |date=February 25, 2020 |title=Kentucky Colonels sue rival organization for trademark infringement, defamation |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2020/02/25/kentucky-colonels-sue-rival-organization-for.html |access-date=February 28, 2020 |work=[[Louisville Business First]]}}</ref>