FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A bill aimed at allowing more Kentucky teenagers to be charged with gun-related felonies in adult court and carrying harsher penalties moved closer to passage in the Legislature on Tuesday.
The bill passed the House on a 68-19 vote and now returns to the Senate, where it could take a final vote if senators accept changes made by the House. Senate Bill 20 is part of a broader push by the Republican-controlled Congress to stiffen penalties for a variety of crimes.
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The vote will give lawmakers time to decide whether to sign or veto the bill sent to Gov. Andy Beshear ahead of an extended recess starting Friday. It was done while waking up. The biggest challenge awaiting lawmakers is passing the national budget for the next two years.
The 68-19 vote came as lawmakers were considering the bill before an extended recess starting Friday to give Gov. Andy Beshear time to make a decision on the bill sent to him. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)
Under the juvenile bill, if a juvenile is charged with a felony and uses a firearm in the alleged crime, the juvenile would be transferred to circuit court and tried like an adult. Applicable to young people aged 15 and over.
Republican state Rep. Patrick Flannery said the bill would improve public safety.
“While we use terms such as ‘youthful offenders,’ teenagers,” we refer to people of all ages who use firearms to kill others and inflict permanent serious injury on others. I think it’s very important to recognize that we’re talking about very violent criminals that exist,” Flannery said. He said.
The measure would roll back a criminal justice policy enacted in Kentucky three years ago.
At the time, lawmakers eliminated the automatic transfer of juveniles from juvenile court to circuit court in certain cases. A judge must now hold a hearing to determine whether transfer is appropriate based on the evidence. If they appear in circuit court, teens can face the same penalties as adults, including prison. Under the new bill, teens convicted in circuit court would be held in juvenile facilities until they turn 18.
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Democratic state Rep. Lindsey Burke opposed the policy cuts.
“Three years later, we are back to the premise that teenagers should be punished to the fullest extent of the law, with very limited consideration of how to rehabilitate rather than punish them,” Burke said. It’s being done,” Burke said.
Republican state Sen. Matthew Deneen, the bill’s lead sponsor, said the changes would ensure “the timing fits the crime” of gun-related crimes committed by teens. Deneen said many of the victims of teen gun violence are other teens.
