(The Center Square) – Republican state lawmakers from Louisville unveiled sweeping legislation aimed at reforming and updating state laws regarding crime and justice.
Dubbed the “Safer Kentucky Act,” the yet-to-be-filed bill would, among its various sections, establish a “three strikes” law for persistent violent offenders, permit law enforcement agencies to wiretap while investigating certain crimes and deny probation or parole to people convicted of violent crimes. It also calls for prosecutors to seek the death penalty in cases where a police officer was intentionally killed while performing their lawful duties.
“I want to build a safer Kentucky,” said state Rep. Jared Bauman, R-Louisville, who will be the bill’s primary sponsor. “A place where we can sleep easily, walk along our streets at night, and not fear for the lives of our loved ones when they are away from home. I want to see a state with the resources to rehabilitate those who violate the law, while having strong policy in place to punish those who choose to break the law.”
Other aspects of the bill would place restrictions on charitable organizations that post bail.
That part of the bill is called “Madelynn’s Law,” in honor of a Louisville teenager who was killed in a 2021 car crash by a driver who was allegedly intoxicated driver who carjacked the vehicle causing the head-on collision. That person had been released on bail raised by a local group.
The bill would also give store owners and their employees civil and criminal immunity from taking action to protect themselves, prevent a loss or keep a detained person from leaving.
Bill sponsors also included language that would allow “unlicensed ordinary citizens” to participate in gun auctions managed by the Kentucky State Police. If passed, the new law would allow citizens to bid on the weapon and request it be destroyed rather than put back out for use.
“Guns confiscated from homicides are currently sold at Kentucky State Police auctions to licensed firearms dealers, and these funds raised from private sources are used to purchase critical protective equipment for our police forces,” said state Rep. John Hodgson, R-Fisherville. “…No public funds are used in this process, and the police will still get the proceeds for protective equipment.”
Work on the bill is expected to continue in the months leading up to the start of the 2024 General Assembly session in January. The legislation is scheduled to be discussed during an Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary meeting in December.
