Bill > HB479

This bill expands the definition of hate crimes and strengthens penalties and protections for victims. It defines "gender identity or expression" to include how someone perceives their gender, regardless of their sex assigned at birth, and lists specific actions that constitute a hate crime when motivated by a person's actual or perceived race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, physical or mental disability, age, ethnicity, national origin, or association with a group based on these characteristics. Penalties for hate crimes are increased, with enhanced sentences for offenses resulting in bodily injury, repeat offenses, crimes against minors by adults, group offenses, or when a firearm is involved. The bill also establishes a civil cause of action for victims of hate crimes, allowing them to sue perpetrators for damages, including triple actual damages and punitive damages, regardless of criminal proceedings. Furthermore, it mandates training for law enforcement officers on identifying, investigating, and responding to hate crimes, and requires agencies to have written policies and procedures for handling hate crimes to receive funding. Finally, it repeals a previous law that deemed victims of hate crimes as victims of criminally injurious conduct, likely to integrate this concept into the broader hate crime framework.

Justice

https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26RS/hb479.html