(WAVE/WKYT) – A bill that would attach harsher penalties to street racing throughout the Commonwealth is up for debate for the second legislative session in a row.
Now, its sponsors are hoping this is the year it gets over the finish line.
Kentucky already has a law that bans street racing, but this bill, HB 425, would make penalties harsher, increasing the fine on the first offense and taking away the car on the second offense.
The bill has sponsors from both political parties, something Representative Beverly Chester-Burton said she hopes will show fellow lawmakers how pressing the issue is.
“Both sides agree that there is an issue,” said Chester-Burton.
Despite a state law passed banning street racing in 2024, Louisville still saw a spike in 2025, something Chester-Burton said she got lots of calls about.
“Not only on the highways, but also in communities as well,” she said.
That spike led Chester-Burton to team up with Representative Jason Nemes to propose the bill last year. The bill passed in the House, but wasn’t brought up for debate in the Senate.
“This particular bill is one that I’m going to continue to try to push through and make conversations happen on both sides,” said Chester-Burton.
Under the proposed bill, HB 425, anyone who violates the street racing law for the first time will pay $1,000 and have their vehicle taken for at least six months.
On the second offense, the fine will go up to $2,000, and that person will be forced to give up their car.
“It will be crushed or auctioned, and the funds will go to the crime victim’s compensation reward,” said Chester-Burton.
Louisville Metro Council passed its own street racing ordinance back in 2022, after street racers shut down part of the Watterson.
A year after it was passed, LMPD reported 37 arrests and 55 car seizures.
WAVE reached out to LMPD for updated numbers and has yet to hear back.
HB 425 got through the House Judiciary Committee this week. Now, Chester-Burton hopes it will have the momentum to pass through both chambers.
“A lot of times if it’s not happening in your community, you don’t think it’s a big deal,” she said. “I just believe that once they see a reduce in such, of this activity, then they will recognize it was a smart move.”
Chester-Burton told WAVE now that the bill has passed through the Judiciary Committee, she expects it to go to the House floor sometime next week.