Issue · Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice

Every criminal justice bill, vote, and legislator stance in Kentucky, automatically classified by Maddy, our AI policy reader.

Total bills
13
2026 Regular Session
Top supporter
Karen Berg
100% support rate
Top opponent
Lindsey Tichenor
0% support rate
Ranked legislators
10
5 support · 5 oppose
Key legislators

Who's moving criminal justice in Kentucky

Legislators moving criminal justice in Kentucky
Legislator Party Stance Support rate Votes
Karen Berg
Karen Berg Senate · District 26
D
Strong +
100% 31
Gerald Neal
Gerald Neal Senate · District 33
D
Strong +
100% 32
Keturah Herron
Keturah Herron Senate · District 35
D
Strong +
100% 34
Cassie Armstrong
Cassie Armstrong Senate · District 19
D
Strong +
100% 34
Gary Clemons
Gary Clemons Senate · District 37
D
Strong +
100% 33
Lindsey Tichenor
Lindsey Tichenor Senate · District 6
R
Strong −
0% 31
Jason Petrie
Jason Petrie House · District 16
R
Strong −
12% 48
Aaron Reed
Aaron Reed Senate · District 7
R
Strong −
14% 34
Robby Mills
Robby Mills Senate · District 4
R
Strong −
14% 33
Gary Boswell
Gary Boswell Senate · District 8
R
Strong −
14% 34
Showing 1–10 of 13 bills

All criminal justice bills

passed · Kentucky · Senate Apr 15, 2026

SB 312: AN ACT relating to court-ordered transports.

Amend KRS 70.280 to authorize certified court security officers to transport individuals being detained or in custody as ordered by the court and to go outside the immediate area of the court facility to provide the transport; authorize arrest powers for certified court security officers while engaged in transporting, monitoring, or supervising prisoners or other individuals ordered transported by the court; amend KRS 202A.028 and 202A.101 to permit certified court security officers to transport individuals under specified circumstances.
signed · Kentucky · House Apr 13, 2026

HB 762: AN ACT relating to the criminal justice system.

Amend KRS 31.010 and 31.020 to make technical corrections; amend KRS 31.030 to require the annual report filed by the Department of Public Advocacy to inform the LRC and the public of the work of all divisions of the department; amend KRS 31.110 to provide that the Department shall provide legal representation to a person who is accused of being in contempt of court for noncompliance with a court-ordered obligation only when the obligation arises out of a criminal prosecution or conviction or an action or adjudication for a public or status offense; create a new section of KRS Chapter 31 to provide that the Department of Public Advocacy shall not be appointed by a court to provide legal representation unless specifically authorized by KRS 31.110; amend KRS 31.211 to provide that any attorney providing legal representation under KRS Chapter 31 shall forward all information that indicates payment or reimbursement for services to the public advocate; amend KRS 31.215 to provide that any attorney providing legal representation under KRS Chapter 31 shall not accept fees for legal representation; create an exception for unsolicited gifts of de minimis value; amend KRS 31.219 to provide that any attorney providing legal representation under KRS Chapter 31 shall file a notice of appeal after trial if requested by his or her client; amend KRS 202A.121 to provide that an attorney appointed under KRS Chapter 202A shall be paid a fee fixed by the court not to exceed $500; direct the secretary of the Personnel Cabinet to work with the Department of Public Advocacy to develop and implement a new classification series for Department of Public Advocacy Trial Attorneys; make technical corrections.
signed · Kentucky · Senate Apr 13, 2026

SB 90: AN ACT relating to behavioral health.

Amend KRS 533.272 to extend the behavioral health conditional dismissal program pilot project until January 1, 2031; amend KRS 533.288 to extend the Behavioral Health Conditional Dismissal Program Implementation Council until December 31, 2031; amend 2022 Ky. Acts ch. 230, sec. 13, to establish that moneys appropriated for the behavioral health conditional dismissal program through June 30, 2026, shall not lapse and shall be carried forward.
signed · Kentucky · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 170: AN ACT relating to status offenses.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 610 to establish a pilot program to be known as the Supporting Opportunities for Accountability and Restoration Program for children who are truant; require the pilot program to be established in no less than 10 public school districts; establish the responsive interventions to support and empower teams; establish criteria for participation and procedure for the program; create a new section of KRS Chapter 159 to establish the duties of the director of pupil personnel in school districts that are participating in the pilot program; amend KRS 159.140 to conform; create a new section of KRS Chapter 160 to require schools to collect certain data relating to habitual truancy and require the Kentucky Department of Education to annually report data relating to habitual truancy to the Legislative Research Commission for referral to the Interim Joint Committee on Education and the Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary; amend KRS 610.030 to require the use of an evidence-based family screening tool to identify family strengths, needs, and risks; create family diversion plans and require a child's parent to participate; amend KRS 605.030 to require a court-designated worker to coordinate the pilot program in the school districts that participate; amend KRS 17.125 to allow responsive interventions to support and empower teams to access information on juveniles involved with the juvenile justice system; amend KRS 600.020 to amend the definition of "habitual truant" and define "Supporting Opportunities for Accountability and Restoration Program" or "SOAR Program" and "Responsive Interventions to Support and Empower Teams" or "RISE teams"; create a new section of KRS Chapter 630 to provide that a child who is alleged to be a status offender, adjudicated a status offender, or is a status offender alleged or found to have violated a valid court order shall not be detained in a secure detention facility until the child is at least 16 years old; amend various sections to conform; repeal KRS 630.100.
signed · Kentucky · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 58: AN ACT relating to privacy protection.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 189 to define terms related to automated license plate readers; restrict use of automated license plate readers; establish limitations on use and sale of data captured by automated license plate readers; provide that captured license plate data may be retained longer than 90 days only if it is being used in a criminal or insurance investigation or has become subject to a preservation of evidence notification; require law enforcement agencies to adopt and make public a written policy governing use of automated license plate readers; provide that any recorded images or data captured by an automated license plate reader may be made available to the National Insurance Crime Bureau or its successor organization; require the Transportation Cabinet to establish a permit process for installation of automated license plate readers on highway rights-of-way and to promulgate administrative regulations; amend KRS 189.990 to establish penalty for violation.
signed · Kentucky · House Apr 10, 2026

HB 185: AN ACT relating to employment and declaring an emergency.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 335B.010 to 335B.070 to require hiring or licensing authorities to establish an application process that gives persons convicted of a crime an opportunity to obtain a determination about whether the crime will disqualify the individual from a position of public employment or occupational license before pursuing employment or training; require hiring or licensing authorities to formulate policies and procedures for the application process by promulgating regulations no later than January 1, 2027; provide an annual report to the Legislative Research Commission by November 1, 2027; provide that certain entities are exempted from the requirements of the application process; amend KRS 335B.020 to add criteria for hiring and licensing authorities to consider when determining if a conviction directly relates to the position of public employment or occupational license sought; amend KRS 335B.030 to require hiring or licensing authorities to evaluate information and provide written findings of fact to the applicant upon determination.
signed · Kentucky · Senate Apr 10, 2026

SB 122: AN ACT relating to judicial proceedings.

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 533 to define terms; require the court, upon conviction of the defendant, to consider the defendant's status as a caretaker of a dependent child; provide that a court's determination of a defendant's status as a caretaker of a dependent child shall not be admissible as evidence or be determinative in any subsequent proceeding; provide that the defendant shall have the right to present an alternative sentencing plan and a family impact statement to the court; provide that in issuing an alternative sentence, the court may require the defendant to participate in programs and services that support the parent-child relationship; provide that the court may modify or revoke the alternative sentence and commit the defendant to an institution if the defendant fails to adhere to or complete the conditions of an alternative sentence; amend KRS 610.340 to provide that a court determining whether to impose an alternative sentence for a defendant who is a caretaker of a dependent child has access to court records under KRS Chapters 600 to 645; provide that the Act may be cited as the Family Preservation and Accountability Act.
signed · Kentucky · House Apr 9, 2026

HB 5: AN ACT relating to prison educational programs.

Create new sections of KRS Chapter 197 to establish the Kentucky Community and Technical College System Prison Education Program within the Department of Corrections in partnership with the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) to provide inmates with job training; require KCTCS to construct a facility to house the program at Northpoint Training Center; establish convictions that preclude participation in the program; require the parties to enter into a memorandum of agreement establishing the responsibilities of each party; amend KRS 196.281 to establish entitlement to a certificate of employability upon successful completion of the program and require reporting by the department; amend KRS 335B.020 to establish that a person shall not be disqualified from public employment or obtaining an occupational license solely because of previous criminal conviction and obtaining a certificate of employment from the department shall constitute rebuttable evidence of rehabilitation and fitness for the occupation; amend KRS 355B.030 to remove a conviction of a Class A felony, Class B felony, or any other felony offense other than a conviction that would qualify the individual as a registrant as defined in KRS 17.500 as supportive of a rebuttable presumption of a connection between that conviction and a license issuance request.
signed · Kentucky · House Apr 3, 2026

HB 188: AN ACT relating to public safety.

Amend KRS 508.025 to expand assault in the third degree to include causing or attempting to cause physical injury to a healthcare provider in a jail, penitentiary, or local or state correctional or detention facility; amend KRS 65.1591 to add jailers, deputy jailers, and correctional officers employed by a local detention center, local correctional facility, or regional jail to the list of public safety employees eligible to participate in a peer support counseling program.
signed · Kentucky · Senate Apr 1, 2026

SB 10: AN ACT proposing to amend Section 77 of the Constitution of Kentucky relating to limiting the Governor's ability to grant pardons and commute sentences.

Propose to amend Section 77 of the Constitution of Kentucky to prohibit the Governor's ability to grant pardons or commute sentences beginning 60 days prior to a gubernatorial election and ending at that gubernatorial inauguration; amend Section 240 of the Constitution of Kentucky to conform; provide ballot language; submit to voters for ratification or rejection.
Showing 1 to 10 of 13 bills
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