Kentucky representative files bills that would require elected officials to be natural born citizens

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE, CNN) – A state representative in Kentucky wants to require elected officials in the state to be natural born United State citizens.

According to a report by WAVE, a woman in the state’s House, who was born in India, says his proposal is racist.

WAVE reports it caught up with Rep. Nima Kulkarni as she was getting ready to start week two of the Kentucky General Assembly, a session she says started with a bigger splash than usual.

Kulkarni says, “It’s usually a pretty, you know, low-key, kind of uneventful time. Of course, we’ve had several bills filed in this last week that were anything but, unfortunately.”

Kulkarni is talking about two bills filed by Republican Rep. Shane Baker.

House Bill 186 would require candidates for local offices, which includes mayors and even school board members, to be natural born citizens of the United States and solely hold American citizenship.

House Bill 259 would amend the Commonwealth’s constitution to require the same of people running for state and county-wide office.

In a statement, Baker says, “These measures work hand in hand to protect our communities and preserve our state.”

Kulkarni says, “I think this is, at its most fundamental level, racism, xenophobia and bigotry.”

Baker says he proposed the bills after “having seen firsthand the consequences of foreign leadership in states like Minnesota.”

Kulkarni says, “Kentucky is not a border state. We don’t have a huge immigrant and refugee population. And certainly nowhere near for it to be a problem, as Rep. Baker asserted.”

As the only current legislator who would be impacted by these measures, Kulkarni says she wishes her colleagues would focus on what she calls Kentucky’s real issues.

Kulkarni says, “How are we going to navigate people not being able to access federal benefits for food, for health care? Those are the issues that we need to be focusing on.”

Kulkarni isn’t the only one in her family to take a stand.

The proposals prompted her father to file a bid to also run for the state House.