Kentucky 2026 Regular Session Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 1 R · 1 D cosponsors

SB 350 — AN ACT relating to the abolition of the death penalty.

Last action — to Committee on Committees (S)

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced March 02, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Advancing 34% · moderate confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 2 sponsors

    2 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (1 R · 1 D) — cross-party backing.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Summary

Create a new section of KRS Chapter 532 to abolish the death penalty and replace it with life imprisonment without parole for inmates presently sentenced to death; amend KRS 532.030 to remove the death penalty; amend KRS 640.040 to prohibit life imprisonment without benefit of parole for a juvenile offender convicted of a capital offense; amend KRS 640.010 to define "serious intellectual disability" and "significant subaverage general intellectual functioning"; amend KRS 422.285, 532.050, 532.100, and 533.010 to conform; repeal KRS 431.213, 431.2135, 431.218, 431.220, 431.223, 431.224, 431.240, 431.250, 431.260, 431.270, 507A.060, 532.025, 532.075, 532.130, 532.135, 532.140, 532.300, 532.305, and 532.309.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

7 changes Share ↗

Compared against the Kentucky Revised Statutes as published AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill abolishes the death penalty and modifies the criteria for DNA testing requests by persons previously sentenced to death.

  • KRS 422.285

    a capital offense → a capital offense, except for a petitioner sentenced to death prior to the effective date of this Act

    This change narrows the definition of who can request DNA testing to exclude those sentenced to death before the bill's effective date.

  • KRS 422.285

    the Department of Public Advocacy has previously withdrawn from representation of the petitioner for purposes of the request → the Department of Public Advocacy has previously withdrawn from representation of the petitioner for purposes of the request, or the Department of Public Advocacy has previously withdrawn from representation for purposes of the request

    This modification adds clarity on circumstances when the Department of Public Advocacy does not have to represent a petitioner.

  • KRS 422.285

    sentenced to death → sentenced to death prior to the effective date of this Act

    This change specifies that the conditions for ordering DNA testing only apply to petitioners who were convicted after the abolition of the death penalty.

  • KRS 422.285

    petitioner was convicted of → petitioner was convicted of the offense after a trial or after entering an Alford plea;

    This amendment clarifies the circumstances regarding convictions that allow for DNA testing.

  • KRS 422.285

    petitioner sentenced to death → petitioner sentenced to death prior to the effective date of this Act

    This specifies that those previously sentenced to death are excluded from certain testing provisions.

  • KRS 532.030

    death, or → life without benefit of probation or parole, or

    This change reflects the removal of the death penalty from possible sentences.

  • KRS 532.050

    for conviction of a felony[, other than a capital offense,] → for conviction of a felony

    The amendment eliminates references to the death penalty in the context of presentence investigations.

Action History

  1. to Committee on Committees (S)

  2. introduced in Senate

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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2 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 136 not signed on

Sponsors (2)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (136)

136 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 136 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety civil-rights
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does SB 350 do?
Create a new section of KRS Chapter 532 to abolish the death penalty and replace it with life imprisonment without parole for inmates presently sentenced to death; amend KRS 532.030 to remove the death penalty; amend KRS 640.040 to prohibit life imprisonment without benefit of parole for a juvenile offender convicted of a capital offense; amend KRS 640.010 to define "serious intellectual disability" and "significant subaverage general intellectual functioning"; amend KRS 422.285, 532.050, 532.100, and 533.010 to conform; repeal KRS 431.213, 431.2135, 431.218, 431.220, 431.223, 431.224, 431.240, 431.250, 431.260, 431.270, 507A.060, 532.025, 532.075, 532.130, 532.135, 532.140, 532.300, 532.305, and 532.309.
Who sponsors SB 350?
SB 350 is sponsored by Stephen Meredith (Republican) and Gerald A. Neal (Democrat).
What is the current status of SB 350?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced March 02, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB 350?
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Last checked for changes about 2 months ago · updated continuously

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