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Read. Follow. Verify.Kentucky HB 478 Establishes Enhanced Prison Sentences and Mandatory Law Enforcement Training for Bias-Motivated Crimes
Last action · January 30, 2026: to Judiciary (H)Sponsor: Daniel Grossberg
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What This Bill Proposed
Kentucky HB 478 establishes enhanced prison terms ranging from additional months to decades and bars early release for defendants convicted of crimes motivated by the victim's actual or perceived race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation. The legislation also creates a new criminal offense for using historical hate symbols to intimidate, amends mandatory police training standards to include bias-related crimes, and repeals prior hate crime statutes.
Defendants convicted of qualifying crimes with bias motivations face longer prison sentences without eligibility for probation, parole, or early release, while law enforcement agencies must update mandatory training and uniform crime reporting protocols to track bias-related offenses.
- The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky is the state legislature responsible for enacting statutes. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Criminal defendants
Defendants convicted of qualifying crimes with proven bias motivations face mandatory prison term enhancements and ineligibility for early release.
Law enforcement officers
Peace officers must complete mandatory training on bias-related crimes and document potential bias factors on uniform offense reports.
Justice and Public Safety Cabinet
The cabinet must annually report on crimes appearing to be caused by specified bias factors and provide domestic violence training.
Key Facts
- Defendants convicted of crimes under KRS Chapters 507, 507A, 508, 509, 510, 525, or specific sections of Chapters 512 and 513 who intentionally select victims or property based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation are subject to enhanced prison terms.
- For Class A or B misdemeanor convictions with bias motivation, prison terms and fines shall be increased by at least half of the maximum sentence and fine amounts.
- For Class D felony convictions with bias motivation, prison terms are increased by one to five years.
- For Class C felony convictions with bias motivation, prison terms are increased by five to ten years.
Show all 12 facts
- For Class A or B felony convictions with bias motivation, prison terms are increased by ten to twenty years.
- Defendants receiving an enhanced term of imprisonment under the bill are ineligible for probation, shock probation, conditional discharge, parole, or any other form of early release.
- Unless waived, a separate hearing before the trial jury is required to determine whether the offense was committed primarily due to bias and to determine the enhanced prison term.
- A person is guilty of using hate symbols to intimidate, a Class A misdemeanor, when they intentionally use or display a symbol historically used for impending violence to place another in reasonable apprehension of physical injury.
- The Kentucky Law Enforcement Council must approve mandatory training for basic training courses and in-service training on identifying, investigating, responding to, and reporting bias-related crimes.
- Uniform offense reports must include provisions for noting whether specific crimes appear related to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation.
- The Justice and Public Safety Cabinet must annually report on crimes appearing to be caused by the specified bias factors.
- KRS 49.320 and KRS 532.031 relating to hate crimes are repealed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to prison sentences if a crime is proven to be motivated by bias?
Are individuals who receive an enhanced sentence eligible for parole or probation?
What is the penalty for using hate symbols to intimidate someone?
What are law enforcement agencies required to do regarding bias-related crimes?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · in House committee.
Procedural history
2 actions- Jan 30, 2026HouseCommitteeto Judiciary (H)
- Jan 22, 2026HouseIntroducedintroduced in House to Committee on Committees (H)
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Expansion of Protected Categories in Hate Crime Laws
The bill updates Kentucky criminal statutes and law enforcement training requirements to include gender identity or expression and sexual orientation alongside existing protected categories.
Connected Entities
Sources
apps.legislature.ky.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 85)
- Controversy80Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz45Current news / social attention level
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