AN ACT relating to domestic violence.

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AN ACT relating to domestic violence. 1
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2
SECTION 1. A NEW SECTION OF KRS CHAPTER 17 IS CREATED TO 3
READ AS FOLLOWS: 4
(1) As used in this section: 5
(a) "Domestic violence offender registry" means the registry for domestic 6
violence established in subsection (2) of this section; 7
(b) "Domestic violence offense " means a crime under KRS Chapter 507, 508, 8
509, or 525.070, when the relationship between the perpetrator and the 9
victim meets the definition of family member or member of an unmarried 10
couple as defined in KRS 403.720; 11
(c) "Cabinet" means the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet; and 12
(d) "Persistent offender" means any person eighteen (18) years of age or older 13
at the time of the offense, or any youthful offender as defined in KRS 14
600.020, who has been: 15
1. Convicted of, pled gu ilty to, or entered an Alford plea to at least two 16
(2) domestic violence offenses; or 17
2. Placed on pretrial diversion pursuant to KRS 533.250 for at least two 18
(2) domestic violence offenses until the diversionary period is 19
successfully completed. 20
(2) The cabinet shall: 21
(a) Develop and implement a domestic violence offender registry; 22
(b) Create a website that is available to the public that contains: 23
1. The persistent offender's name, date of birth, and county of residence; 24
2. The conviction date; 25
3. A brief description of the crime or crimes committed; and 26
4. A current photograph; and 27
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(c) Maintain the registry using information submitted to the cabinet by court 1
clerks pursuant to subsection (3) of this section and information available 2
from the Department of Corrections and local law enforcement agencies. 3
(3) (a) If a person is convicted of a domestic violence offense and has at least one 4
(1) prior conviction for a domestic violence offense, the court shall order the 5
person to register as a persistent offende r on the domestic violence offender 6
registry. 7
(b) The court clerk shall submit to the cabinet a certified copy of the qualifying 8
conviction and the date of birth of the person within seven (7) days of the 9
conviction. 10
(c) 1. If available to the court clerk, he or she shall submit to the cabinet a 11
copy of the person's driver's license, or other state or federal 12
identification, and any other identifying data the cabinet determines is 13
necessary to identify the person correctly and exclude innocent 14
persons. 15
2. A registrant's: 16
a. Address; 17
b. Social Security number, 18
c. Driver's license number; or 19
d. Any other state or federal identification number; 20
shall not be available to the public on the registry. 21
(4) The cabinet shall remove a registrant's information from the registry: 22
(a) Five (5) years after the date of the most recent conviction for a domestic 23
violence offense if the registrant has one (1) prior domestic violence 24
conviction; 25
(b) Seven (7) years after the date of the most recent conviction for a domestic 26
violence offense if the registrant offender has two (2) prior domestic 27
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violence convictions; 1
(c) Ten (10) years after the date of the most recent conviction for a domestic 2
violence offense if the registrant has three (3) prior domestic violence 3
convictions; or 4
(d) Twenty (20) years after the date of the most recent conviction for a domestic 5
violence o ffense if the registrant has four (4) prior domestic violence 6
convictions. 7
(5) A registrant shall pay a registration fee of one hundred fifty dollars ($150) to the 8
clerk of the court imposing the sentence, who shall: 9
(a) Retain fifty dollars ($50) for administration; and 10
(b) Remit one hundred dollars ($100) to the Department of Kentucky State 11
Police. 12
(6) This Act applies only to persistent offenders convicted on or after January 1, 13
2027. A prior conviction is not required to occur on or after January 1, 2027. 14