Kentucky House Passes Broad 'Three Strikes' Crime Bill: 'Reaffirming Some Basic, Simple Truths'

The Kentucky House managed to pass a sweeping crime bill Thursday, despite vociferous opposition from pro-criminal Democrats.

House Bill 5, or the Safer Kentucky Act, would impose tougher sentences for many crimes and includes a “three strikes” penalty that mandates life in prison for anyone convicted of their third violent act.

The bill would specifically ban “illegal camping” in public spaces, prevent pro-criminal organizations from bailing out violent criminals, allow business owners to use a “reasonable amount of force” against shoplifters, classify theft as of cars as Class B felonies and more, according to the Louisville Courier-Journal.

“With this bill, House Bill 5, we are reaffirming some basic and simple truths: that there is good and evil, and that criminals are responsible for their actions, not society, and that society has a right to protect itself from criminals. element,” said Republican state Rep. Jared Bauman, the bill's lead sponsor, during a three-hour debate Thursday.

“The simple truth is that the criminal element has become an all too normal part of our world today,” he added in a separate statement made after the official vote. “I appreciate the support of so many members of the House, but I regret that others have chosen to side with violent criminals over victims.”

The bill passed mostly along party lines 74 to 22.

About 15 minutes before the 3 hour mark of the debate, HB 5, Kentucky's Safest Law, passes the KY House mostly along party lines with some “liberty wing” Republicans who join the Dems. @Fox56News pic.twitter.com/tNoEA64OzN

— Bode Brooks | FOX 56 News (@BodeBrooks) January 25, 2024

Democrats largely opposed the bill because they thought it was too bad and wanted to focus on the so-called “systemic root causes” of crime.

“Unfortunately, this bill falls very short in my opinion,” said Democratic state Rep. Sarah Stalker. “He lacks compassion for our most vulnerable population experiencing homelessness.”

His rhetoric matches the rhetoric of the Biden administration regarding the southern border crisis. While Republicans want to secure the border, the Biden administration has focused exclusively on identifying “root causes.”

However, this approach has done nothing to stem the flow of illegal alien migrants across the border. Similarly, Kentucky Democrats' focus on the “root causes” of crime has allowed crime to flourish throughout the state.

“Louisville passed a sad milestone in 2021, recording more murders than ever,” Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell revealed in a column for the Correu-Diari written in 2022. “Of the 188 dead, 24 were children. Every 42 hours a car theft occurs in the city. Just recently, an anti-gun and anti-police activist tried to assassinate a mayoral candidate in Louisville and was allowed back on the streets within 48 hours.”

“Lexington also posted a record for homicides in 2021. Nearly 2,000 Kentuckians died of drug overdoses in the last year for which statistics are available, a 49 percent increase from the previous year. The dangerous fentanyl is spilling across our southern border and into Kentucky homes, accounting for 70 percent of overdose deaths,” he added.

The @KYSTATEFOP supports HB5
Safer Kentucky ACT

Sponsor: Rep. Jared Bauman#kyga24 pic.twitter.com/7Cbfh54PFm

— KY State FOP (@KYSTATEFOP) January 14, 2024

“Crime legislation makes (police officers') jobs more difficult,” Republican state Rep. Wade Williams, a former police chief, said this week, according to the Lexington Herald Leader.

“I saw first-hand the effects of this General Assembly's prior decriminalization effort in recent days. I understand that their intent was to reduce costs and incarceration. But it had a negative effect on the fight against crime. I think House Bill 5 will correct some of those problems and those unintended consequences,” he added.

Democrats complained about every aspect of the bill, including the three-stroke penalty.

“Why we're doing a rinse and repeat of this failed attempt from the '90s is beyond me,” Stalker said of the provision.

Republican state Rep. John Blanton responded with the following: “If someone has committed three violent crimes and is incarcerated and can't get out, they're not going to commit another violent crime. That's a fact.”

Is true.

“All Kentuckians deserve to feel safe in their communities, but the policies in House Bill 5 will not make us safer.”

Ahead of HB5's discussion on “Kentucky Tonight,” here's committee testimony on this damaging legislation from policy analyst Kaylee Raymer. #KYGA24 pic.twitter.com/qQdjO8jIZG

— KyPolicy (@KyPolicy) January 22, 2024

Democrat Rep. Josie Raymond, for her part, dared to claim that the real problem is “manufactured fear.”

“The problem that the 'Suffer Kentucky Act' is trying to solve is not an increase in crime. It's an increase in manufactured fear,” he said.

Blanton rejected it, arguing that the bill “protects victims and punishes criminals, imprisons them and that's what we should be doing.”

“We as a government have the responsibility to protect our citizens. If we don't, we will be like other big cities in this country that have adopted these liberal policies. … We are simply trying to protect our citizens,” he added.

Senior Staff Writer
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V. Saxena is a BizPac Review staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University.

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