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Bill Summary · HB 511

Bill Summary: HB 511 (2026RS) — Kentucky

Purpose and intent

HB 511 adds hate crime enhancements to Kentucky law and strengthens training requirements for law enforcement related to hate crimes, domestic violence, sexual assault, and other sensitive topics. The core aim is to recognize, document, and potentially aggravate penalties for crimes motivated by bias and to ensure officers are trained to identify and respond to hate-motivated offenses.

Key provisions

  • Hate crime sentencing enhancement (KRS 532.031, Section 1):

    • A person may be found by the sentencing judge to have committed an offense as a hate crime if the crime was intentionally motivated by bias against a victim’s race, color, religion, political creed, sexual orientation, or national origin, or due to the victim’s actual or perceived status as a public safety employee (e.g., peace officer, firefighter, EMS personnel).
    • At sentencing, the judge must determine, by a preponderance of the evidence, whether a hate crime was a primary factor in the offense and must make a written finding of fact.
    • If found, this hate crime finding can be the sole basis for denying probation, shock probation, or other non-incarceration dispositions (i.e., it can justify incarceration where applicable).
    • The hate crime finding may also be used by the Parole Board to delay or deny parole.
    • Definitions include “emergency medical services personnel” and that volunteers performing duties with organized fire departments or as EMS personnel are covered.

  • Expanded mandatory training for law enforcement (KRS 15.334, Section 2):

    • The Kentucky Law Enforcement Council (KLEC) shall require mandatory training topics for basic training, including:
    • Elder abuse and related victim services.
    • Domestic violence dynamics, child abuse, rape, and related victim impact, with model protocols.
    • HIV/AIDS information.
    • Identification and investigation of hate crimes, victimization, or intimidation tied to bias.
    • Human trafficking awareness and investigation.
    • At least eight hours of sexual assault training.
    • Education on female genital mutilation (FGM), including risks, penalties, and effects.
    • Mandatory in-service training for all certified peace officers with:
    • A requirement to maintain a 40-hour sexual assault investigation training course team and related staffing levels by agency size (minimum officers trained varies by agency size).
    • An agency cannot assign sexual assault case work to officers without this training.
    • Provisions for exemptions and a one-year compliance grace if an agency initially fails to meet requirements.
    • The Justice and Public Safety Cabinet will provide domestic violence training, potentially via existing technology, with all officers required to complete it at least once every two years.
    • KLEC will continue to promulgate regulations establishing mandatory basic and in-service training.

  • Uniform offense reporting and data (KRS 17.1523, Section 3):

    • Uniform offense reports must include information indicating whether crimes appear to be caused by bias factors (race, color, religion, political creed, sex, or national origin).
    • Officers must note on reports whether the offense appears motivated by or related to those biases.
    • The Justice and Public Safety Cabinet must annually report on crimes that appear to be bias-mactivated or related to the listed factors.

Who is affected

  • Defendants and sentencing authorities: Potentially longer or more constrained sentences when hate crime factors are established; probation and parole decisions may be affected.
  • Law enforcement agencies and officers: New mandatory training requirements (basic and in-service) and specific curricula on hate crimes, domestic violence, sexual assault, FGM, human trafficking, and victim services.
  • Public safety personnel: Expanded protections and considerations for bias-m motivated violence against peace officers, firefighters, and EMS personnel.
  • Criminal justice data systems: Enhanced reporting of bias-related crimes in uniform offense reports and annual state crime reports.

Procedural and timeline notes

  • The hate crime finding is determined at sentencing, based on a preponderance of evidence, and must be recorded in the judgment.
  • Parole considerations can be influenced by hate crime findings.
  • Training requirements include phased adherence with potential exemptions; agencies must reestablish minimum trained officer levels within one year if noncompliant.
  • Annual reporting obligations for bias-related offenses are mandated in uniform reporting.

Overall impact

HB 511 strengthens hate crime recognition and potential sentencing enhancements while elevating officer training and data collection to improve prevention, investigation, and accountability for bias-motivated offenses. It emphasizes documented bias factors in offenses and ties them to probation, parole, and broader public safety governance.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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