{"id":2057385,"date":"2023-10-05T22:22:01","date_gmt":"2023-10-06T02:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-lawmakers-propose-safer-kentucky-act-to-tackle-rising-crime\/"},"modified":"2023-10-05T22:30:11","modified_gmt":"2023-10-06T02:30:11","slug":"republican-lawmakers-propose-safer-kentucky-act-to-tackle-rising-crime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-lawmakers-propose-safer-kentucky-act-to-tackle-rising-crime\/","title":{"rendered":"GOP Lawmakers Propose Safer Kentucky Act to Combat Crime Surge"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frepublican-lawmakers-propose-safer-kentucky-act-to-tackle-rising-crime%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2057385&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>In response\u200b to a \u200bsurge in criminal \u2064activities across Kentucky, a group of Republican lawmakers from Louisville has unveiled the Safer Kentucky Act, a legislative proposal aimed at modernizing criminal statutes in the state. The bill&#8217;s primary sponsor, Republican state Rep. Jared Bauman, expressed \u2064the urgent need\u2062 for action, highlighting the increasing concerns about safety in Kentucky.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur city has seen at least 115 homicides this year, and just this weekend a 14-year-old was killed only 15 minutes from here,\u201d \u200cMr. Bauman \u2064said in an announcement this week. \u200d\u201cEarlier this month, we experienced\u2064 fear and terror\u200c in neighborhoods of \u200dthe very district I represent as a violent criminal \u2063preyed on our innocent and unsuspecting neighbors.\u2063 My constituents are fed up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mr. Bauman added\u2062 that his constituents don\u2019t feel\u2062 safe \u2063in their own neighborhoods or even their \u2062homes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we do not do something now, things will \u200bonly\u2062 get worse,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd, while we\u2062 talk about crime\u200b here in \u2063Louisville, it is an issue that unites Kentuckians \u2064across the state. Kentuckians deserve better.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The act \u200cencompasses a wide range of provisions designed to enhance \u2064public safety \u200band <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/carjacked-dem-rep-says-the-border-is-safer-than-the-nations-capital\/\" title=\"Democrat Representative Claims Border Safer Than Capital After Carjacking.\">hold \u2064offenders accountable<\/a> for their actions. Mr. Bauman said in an email to The\u2064 Epoch Times that the bill\u2019s language is still being worked on and will be released in full to the public in December.<\/p>\n<h2>Three Strikes Law<\/h2>\n<p>Among the notable components of the \u2063Safer Kentucky Act is the\u2063 introduction of a &#8220;Three Strikes Law.&#8221; This provision would target violent persistent felony offenders, mandating\u2062 life imprisonment without probation or parole for individuals convicted of\u2063 a violent felony with two prior violent \u2064felony \u200dconvictions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe cannot just\u200b stand by\u2063 as our state\u2019s most violent offenders circulate \u200dbetween the courts, the correction system, and back on our \u2063streets committing crimes,\u201d Mr. Bauman \u2062said in his statement. \u201cLet\u2019s shut the revolving door! We must reform criminal law\u2063 to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republican-lawmakers-propose-safer-kentucky-act-to-tackle-rising-crime\/\" title=\"GOP Lawmakers Propose Safer Kentucky Act to Combat Crime Surge\">hold violent persistent felony offenders\u2063 accountable<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He added\u2062 the provision \u200cis in place in almost 30 \u2064states, \u2064and states other than Kentucky are also actively \u2062considering a\u200c similar law.<\/p>\n<p>To address the opioid crisis and the devastation caused by fentanyl-related deaths, the act proposes enhanced penalties for fentanyl delivery cases leading to overdose deaths. Under\u200b this provision,\u2063 individuals knowingly selling fentanyl\u200c that results in a fatal \u200doverdose could face the death penalty or life imprisonment without the\u2063 possibility of\u200d parole.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDeath by delivery constitutes murder,\u201d a\u200d press release from the Kentucky House Majority Caucus said.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2064provision also allows the death penalty or life without parole for an individual that \u2064knowingly\u200c sells fentanyl or a \u2063fentanyl derivative to another\u2063 person when\u2064 the injection, ingestion, inhalation, or\u2064 other\u2064 introduction of the fentanyl or\u200c fentanyl derivative causes\u2064 the death of such person.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDrug trafficking is destroying our communities with substances like \u2062fentanyl being a leading contributor \u200cto overdose deaths,\u201d Mr. Bauman said. \u200c\u201cThose who\u200c deliberately sell fentanyl know how dangerous it \u200bis to be exposed to even\u2062 a small amount of this \u2062dangerous drug and\u2063 they \u200dare responsible for causing\u200b death by delivery. They \u200bare responsible for murder.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>To combat drug-related issues specifically within correctional facilities, the \u200cSafer Kentucky Act seeks to crack down on contraband by increasing penalties for providing substances\u200c like fentanyl and its derivatives within detention facilities.<\/p>\n<h2>Focus on Louisville \u2064and Other Provisions<\/h2>\n<p>Recognizing the need for enhanced law enforcement presence, the act mandates the establishment of a Kentucky State Police (KSP)\u2064 post in Jefferson County, which includes Louisville, where crime rates have surged in\u2063 recent years.<\/p>\n<p>The act also\u200b addresses concerns related to bail funding organizations \u2063through \u200c&#8221;Madelynn\u2019s Law,&#8221; which\u2062 prevents charitable organizations from furnishing bail of \u200c$5,000 or more and requires \u200cphoto identification for bail posters. This provision is named after Madelynn Troutt, a young victim of an accident involving a man released on bail.<\/p>\n<p>Other notable components \u200dof the\u2062 Safer Kentucky\u2064 Act include empowering employees and business owners to protect themselves and prevent theft through &#8220;shopkeeper\u2019s privilege,&#8221; allowing reasonable use of force to protect property and\u200d providing civil immunity for owners and employees.<\/p>\n<p>Additional provisions \u2062include increasing penalties for attempted murder, holding parents accountable\u200b by requiring their attendance at juvenile court hearings, facilitating \u200cthe reentry \u200cof former \u2062inmates into \u2063society, and classifying carjacking as\u2064 a felony \u2063with\u2064 varying degrees of punishment based on the outcome.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the act addresses issues such \u200das \u2063vandalism, mandatory \u200bsentencing for guns used \u2063in crimes, involuntary confinement for the \u200cmentally ill, allowing law enforcement to\u2064 use wiretapping, auctioning confiscated guns, banning street camping, seeking the death penalty for\u200b the murder of law enforcement officers, and \u200breforming the \u2062parole board \u2063to ensure responsible \u2062decision-making.<\/p>\n<p>Lawmakers have\u2062 fewer than 100 days before they will convene\u2062 for \u200dthe next Regular Session of the Kentucky\u200c General Assembly on Jan. 2, 2024, and\u2063 they are expected to continue working with stakeholders to refine the\u2062 Safer Kentucky Act. They intend to present the measure to an Interim Joint Committee on Judiciary in December.<\/p>\n<h2>Addressing Inaccurate Crime\u200d Reporting<\/h2>\n<p>In a separate statement issued \u2064on Oct.\u200c 4, \u2063the\u2063 same lawmakers expressed concerns about the accuracy\u200d of annual crime data reported since they released their \u2064proposal\u2064 to tackle crime last \u2062week.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRecent news \u200dreports of discrepancies in crime data calls into question the entire annual report and how such inaccuracies cleared the process,\u201d the caucus said in a statement. \u201cWas \u200bthis an intentional underreporting\u200b and is the administration trying to hide the truth? The numbers that \u2063the Louisville Metro Police Department submitted are not even close to what was reported\u200d in\u2062 the 2022 Crime in Kentucky report released in July.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Accurate data, \u200bthey argued, is \u200bessential for developing effective legislation to combat the ongoing crime epidemic.<\/p>\n<p>Kentucky\u200b House Majority Whip Jason Nemes stated, \u201cUnder\u2062 this proposal, \u200dindividuals using a \u200bfirearm possessed \u200din violation of \u200cstate law\u200c will not be\u200b entitled to probation, parole, or conditional release\u2062 and discharge. We must punish criminals and send the message to those who would become felons or repeat offenders.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The lawmakers emphasized the need for \u200ccomprehensive record-keeping to identify crime patterns and guide informed policy decisions that enhance\u200b public security.<\/p>\n<h2>Criticisms<\/h2>\n<p>Some \u200dcriticism of the plan\u2063 has come\u200c from even within the Republican Party in Kentucky. Republican state \u2062Rep. Savannah Maddox, noting she had\u200d not seen a draft of\u200c the bill, was concerned \u200beven with the \u2062outline, specifically \u2063wiretapping \u200bproposals.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Folks, I \u200cam\u2063 blown away \u200dthat wiretapping is \u2063being contemplated\u200d in a Republican supermajority. Some of\u2064 the items on this list make sense, others are absolutely \u2064bananas,&#8221; \u2064she wrote on X.\u200b &#8220;I cannot \u200bprovide a complete \u2063analysis until I have a bill draft in hand, but I can tell you right now that I will never support legislation\u200b that allows\u200c for WIRETAPPING at the \u2062state level.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>She\u200c added that in her belief, there is a risk of abuse and potential for violation of the \u2062right to privacy and even constitutional protections, \u200c&#8221;no matter how\u2062 narrowly tailored.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The proposal notes Kentucky is one of a handful \u200cof states that prevents law enforcement from\u200c using the practice. \u2063It calls\u2064 for allowing local and state law enforcement to partner with the federal government to\u2063 obtain wiretaps to investigate heinous crimes and gangs.<\/p>\n<p>The proposal also would \u200b\u201callow for\u2064 the state\u2019s attorney general or any commonwealth\u2019s attorney to apply to\u200d a judge of\u200b competent jurisdiction for an order authorizing the interception of wire, oral, \u2063or\u2064 electronic communications\u201d if it could potentially \u2062provide evidence\u200b of a range of crimes such as murder, kidnapping, human \u200dtrafficking, and\u2062 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/59-missing-children-found-among-200-sex-trafficking-victims\/\" title=\"59 missing children were discovered among a group of 200 sex trafficking victims.\">child\u2062 sexual exploitation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2062American \u200dCivil \u200dLiberties Union of Kentucky posted\u2064 on X that the proposal is akin to \u201cineffective\u201d tough-on-crime approaches tried in \u2063the 1980s.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCrime\u2064 is \u200ba\u2064 systemic problem solved by access to basic needs\u2014not punitive measures that \u2063perpetuate Kentucky&#8217;s mass incarceration crisis,\u201d the \u2062organization added.  <\/p>\n<h2> \u2062 What provisions are included\u2064 in the \u200bSafer\u2062 Kentucky Act proposed \u2062by Republican lawmakers from Louisville?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  At offenders that Kentucky will \u200bnot tolerate \u200ctheir actions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The lawmakers called for a thorough investigation into the discrepancies in\u2062 crime data and \u2063urged the administration to address any potential underreporting or inaccuracies. They emphasized the importance\u200b of transparency and accountability in ensuring accurate information for lawmakers to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/your-air-fryer-is-spying-on-you-warns-ted-cruz-in-introducing-bipartisan-smart-tech-consumer-privacy-bill\/\" title=\"Ted Cruz warns: Your air fryer spies on you! Introducing a privacy bill to protect consumers from smart tech.\">make informed\u2062 decisions<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe safety and well-being of our citizens are at stake, and \u2063we cannot afford \u2064to overlook or \u200ddownplay the\u2063 severity of the crime crisis in our state,\u201d said \u2063Representative Bauman. \u201cThe \u2063Safer \u200cKentucky Act is \u2062a comprehensive and proactive approach to address these issues, but we need accurate data to understand\u2062 the full \u2064extent \u200cof the problem and\u200b develop\u2064 effective \u200csolutions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In conclusion, the\u200d Safer Kentucky Act proposed by a group of Republican lawmakers from Louisville aims to modernize \u200bcriminal statutes \u2062in response to a surge in criminal activities\u200c across the state. The act includes provisions such as the Three\u2062 Strikes Law, enhanced penalties for fentanyl-related deaths, crack \u2064down on contraband in correctional facilities, increased law \u200benforcement presence, and other\u2063 measures to promote public safety and \u2064hold \u200doffenders accountable.<\/p>\n<p>Lawmakers are working to refine\u2062 the bill&#8217;s \u200clanguage\u200b and \u2062plan to present it to the Interim Joint Committee \u200con Judiciary\u200d in December. Their efforts \u2062are driven by the urgent need to address the increasing\u2062 concerns about safety in Kentucky and provide better protection\u200c for \u2063Kentuckians.<\/p>\n<p>Accurate crime data is crucial for developing effective legislation, and lawmakers have expressed concerns about potential discrepancies and underreporting. They call for transparency, accountability, and \u2064a thorough investigation into\u2064 these issues to ensure that accurate information is available to address the ongoing \u2062crime epidemic in the state.<\/p>\n<p>With time running out before the next Regular Session of \u200dthe \u2064Kentucky General Assembly, \u200blawmakers are\u2064 committed \u2064to continuing their work and collaborating\u2064 with \u200dstakeholders to refine the Safer Kentucky\u2064 Act. The \u2063goal is to create\u200c a safer and more \u200csecure environment for \u200dall residents of\u200d Kentucky and send a strong message to criminals that \u200btheir actions \u200bwill not be tolerated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In response to rising crime rates in Kentucky, Louisville&#8217;s Republican lawmakers introduced the Safer Kentucky Act. Led by Rep. Jared Bauman, the proposed legislation aims to update criminal statutes and address growing safety concerns. Urgent action is required to ensure a safer environment for all residents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1627,"featured_media":2057386,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2057385","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2057385","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1627"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2057385"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2057385\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2057386"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2057385"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2057385"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2057385"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}