FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Controversial no-knock warrants became a big topic of discussion in Kentucky after Breonna Taylor's death. Lawmakers in the state have spent months talking about making changes to the warrants, and on the final day of legislative session, a bill finally passed.
382 days after Breonna Taylor was killed in Louisville, Kentucky lawmakers are very close to partially banning no-knock warrants. The bill that passed out of the House on Tuesday is not the original Breonna's Law for Kentucky.
Breonna's Law was a direct response to what happened in Louisville. It was a stricter bill that would have banned no-knocks altogether, but the bill didn't go anywhere.
Senate Bill 4 is a different version of the bill. It doesn't ban no-knock warrants, but it does put some big restrictions on them. It sets rules for when they can be used, how they can be used and who can use them, and more. The bill was amended to give both Democrats and the GOP some compromise. No one got everything that they wanted, but many lawmakers talked about this bill as a starting point. The House passed it on a 92-5 vote, so most lawmakers were in favor of it. But some who voted "no" say this bill doesn't go far enough.
"I would like to have to have voted for this, but I cannot," said State Rep. Reginald Meeks (D-Jefferson). "I cannot go home and talk my brothers and my sisters and say we've done something that's going to save lives because every one of them continues to be under the threat of a police department out of control."
The Kentucky Senate also gave final passage to the bill by a unanimous vote. It now heads to Gov. Andy Beshear's desk for his signature.
This article was written by Karolina Buczek for WLEX.
