FRANKFORT- Gov. Matt Bevin, R-Kentucky, has signed a law that will limit the power of the Secretary of State. 

House Bill 114 was signed Tuesday and will strip the Secretary of State's power of the board of elections by removing them as chair of the board. It will also make improperly accessing the voter registration database a Class A misdemeanor. 

Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer, R-Georgetown, filed the bill after allegations against current Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, D-Kentucky, that she was misusing voter registration Thayer added the emergency clause as a result of a report  by the Herald-Leader and ProPublica revealing searches in the voter registration database of prominent state politicians and others. 

Grimes' office says it undermines the security of elections in Kentucky. 

"At a time when election security is a top concern for our nation, our Republican majority wants to remove the only member of the State Board of Elections with a National Security Clearance from having a voice in protecting Kentucky, placing the process solely in the hands of unelected bureaucrats appointed by the Governor," Grimes said in a statement upon passage of the bill. "This should appall every Kentuckian who believes in checks and balances and oversight in our elections.”

The Kentucky Democratic Party has also said this bill is a power grab by the Republican majority. 

“House Bill 114 strips constitutional powers granted to our Secretary of State elected by the voters of the commonwealth and places them under the direction of one individual, the governor," said KDP Chair Ben Self in a statement, “Make no mistake, this legislation is personal and a direct attack against the will of Kentucky voters and the integrity of our elections process. This is nothing more than a power grab by the Republican Party of Kentucky, and every voter should be concerned.”

This bill goes into effect immediately.