FRANKFORT, Ky. — Two Louisville Democrats are looking to increase prison time for individuals convicted of committing hate crimes in the commonwealth.
Kentucky Senate Democratic Leader Gerald Neal and state Rep. Daniel Grossberg have filed similar bills in the House and Senate to establish a state hate crime law and enhance protections for victims.
Officials said it has been filed in previous sessions in honor of Vickie Jones and Maurice Stallard, victims of the 2018 Jeffersontown Kroger shooting.
"The racially-motivated attack raised questions regarding state hate crime laws and how someone with a history of mental illness, racist online posts, and domestic violence was able to carry out such an act," a release said.
Both bills, Senate Bill 272 and House Bill 477, would extend prison time if a person is proven to have intentionally committed a hate crime based on race, color, ethnicity, religion, disability, gender identity or sexual orientation.
"The rise in hate crime cases across our nation is a cause of great concern," Neal said. "I have filed similar proposals in the past to address this issue, and now is the time for us to pass it."
Under the proposed legislation, the prison sentence for a Class A or B misdemeanor would be increased by at least half of the maximum imprisonment sentence and fine that currently exists.
For a Class D felony, the prison sentence would be increased by one to five years; a Class C felony would be increased by five to ten years; and a Class A or B felony would increase by 10 to 20 years.
Additionally, if convicted, the change would mean a person convicted of a hate crime would not be eligible for probation or any other form of early release.
"This legislation will give us another important tool to confront hate and ensure those driven by it pay a steeper price," Grossberg said.
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