HB227 makes a narrow but significant change to Kentucky criminal law by repealing the offense of sodomy in the fourth degree and removing references to that offense from other statutes. The bill amends the definition of “sex crime” in KRS 194A.380 to delete sodomy in the fourth degree from the list of qualifying offenses, and it also updates the state’s hate-crime sentencing statute to remove that offense from the set of crimes that can receive a hate-crime enhancement. Finally, it expressly repeals KRS 510.100, the statute defining sodomy in the fourth degree.
The bill also makes conforming changes to related statutory definitions used in child protection and youth-camp regulation. Those provisions continue to define “criminal offense against a minor,” “local government youth day camp,” “staff member,” “violent offender,” and “youth camp” for purposes of background checks, supervision, and related regulatory requirements, while eliminating the now-repealed offense from the sex-crime list. In practical terms, the bill would remove sodomy in the fourth degree as a standalone criminal offense and reduce its downstream effects in sentencing and administrative law.
Impact
HB227 would repeal KRS 510.100 and remove sodomy in the fourth degree from Kentucky’s statutory framework, including the sex-crime definition used in KRS 194A.380 and the hate-crime enhancement list in KRS 532.031. That means the offense would no longer be treated as a qualifying sex crime for the referenced statutory purposes, and courts would no longer be able to apply the hate-crime sentencing provisions to that offense. The bill does not otherwise alter the broader rape, sodomy, sexual abuse, indecent exposure, or child-protection provisions that remain in place.
Sentiment
No committee transcripts or recorded votes were provided, so there is no direct evidence of support or opposition from legislative debate. Based on the text alone, the bill appears to be a targeted technical and substantive criminal-code revision rather than a broad policy overhaul. Its removal of a specific offense suggests the measure may be intended to modernize or narrow the criminal code, but the available record does not show how lawmakers or stakeholders reacted.
Contention
The main point of contention is likely the repeal of sodomy in the fourth degree itself, because deleting a criminal offense can raise concerns about whether conduct previously covered by that statute remains adequately addressed elsewhere in the code. A second possible issue is the bill’s conforming changes to sex-crime and hate-crime statutes, since removing an offense from those lists can affect sentencing, registration-related consequences, and collateral legal treatment. Without committee discussion, it is not possible to identify specific supporters or opponents, but the affected interests would likely include criminal justice advocates, prosecutors, defense interests, and groups focused on sexual-offense policy and sentencing.