---
type: "Bill"
title: "AN ACT relating to aggravating circumstances."
description: "Amend KRS 532.025 to include the intentional killing of a child under 12 as an aggravating circumstance in cases of offenses for which the death penalty may be authorized; provide that subsection (2)(a)9. of Section 1 of this Act may be cited as Kimber's law."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ky"
legislature: "Kentucky General Assembly"
session: "2023RS"
identifier: "HB 249"
citation: "Kentucky HB 249 (2023RS)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Corrections Impact", "Crime Victims", "Crimes and Punishments", "Short Titles and Popular Names"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: []
version_count: 3
action_count: 27
vote_count: 2
first_action: "2023-02-10T05:00:00+00:00"
last_action: "2023-03-24T04:00:00+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/7afd85f5-3b8c-4036-b570-f8fdad37ff6a"
source_url: "https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/23RS/hb249.html"
source_hash: "1669717909fb95bb4e6c5ec380b310c54b2bf4f3c0aa8087300a618982d5bf28"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ky"]
---

# Kentucky HB 249 (2023RS) — AN ACT relating to aggravating circumstances.

Amend KRS 532.025 to include the intentional killing of a child under 12 as an aggravating circumstance in cases of offenses for which the death penalty may be authorized; provide that subsection (2)(a)9. of Section 1 of this Act may be cited as Kimber's law.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/23RS/hb249/orig_bill.pdf)
2. **Acts Chapter 96** (committee substitute) — [source](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/acts/23RS/documents/0096.pdf)
3. **Current/Final** (committee substitute) — [source](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/23RS/hb249/bill.pdf)

## Votes

- Pass — **pass** (pass) · lower
- FINAL PASS HB 249 — **pass** (pass) · lower

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2023-02-10T05:00:00+00:00** introduced in House `introduction`
- **2023-02-10T05:00:00+00:00** to Committee on Committees (H) `referral-committee`
- **2023-02-23T05:00:00+00:00** to Judiciary (H) `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-08T05:00:00+00:00** reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar `committee-passage`
- **2023-03-09T05:00:00+00:00** 2nd reading, to Rules `reading-2`
- **2023-03-09T05:00:00+00:00** posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Friday, March 10, 2023
- **2023-03-10T05:00:00+00:00** 3rd reading, passed 85-6 `passage, reading-3`
- **2023-03-13T04:00:00+00:00** received in Senate
- **2023-03-13T04:00:00+00:00** to Committee on Committees (S) `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-14T04:00:00+00:00** taken from Committee on Committees (S)
- **2023-03-14T04:00:00+00:00** 1st reading `reading-1`
- **2023-03-14T04:00:00+00:00** returned to Committee on Committees (S)
- **2023-03-14T04:00:00+00:00** to Judiciary (S) `referral-committee`
- **2023-03-15T04:00:00+00:00** taken from Judiciary (S)
- **2023-03-15T04:00:00+00:00** 2nd reading `reading-2`
- **2023-03-15T04:00:00+00:00** returned to Judiciary (S)
- **2023-03-15T04:00:00+00:00** floor amendment (1) filed `amendment-introduction`
- **2023-03-16T04:00:00+00:00** reported favorably, to Rules `committee-passage`
- **2023-03-16T04:00:00+00:00** posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Thursday, March 16, 2023
- **2023-03-16T04:00:00+00:00** 3rd reading `reading-3`
- **2023-03-16T04:00:00+00:00** Floor Amendment (1) withdrawn
- **2023-03-16T04:00:00+00:00** passed 32-4 `passage`
- **2023-03-16T04:00:00+00:00** received in House
- **2023-03-16T04:00:00+00:00** enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House `passage`
- **2023-03-16T04:00:00+00:00** enrolled, signed by President of the Senate `passage`
- **2023-03-16T04:00:00+00:00** delivered to Governor
- **2023-03-24T04:00:00+00:00** signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 96) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/7afd85f5-3b8c-4036-b570-f8fdad37ff6a`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Kentucky legislature records).