A Kentucky bill would create a public registry of repeat domestic violence offenders after two or more convictions, and while some survivors support it, advocacy group Zero-V says it isn't ready to back the measure over concerns for victims' safety.
Wave 3 News · fernando garcia-franceschini · September 9, 2026
Kentucky lawmakers take new aim at domestic violence registry, causing mixed reactions
# Kentucky lawmakers take new aim at domestic violence registry, causing mixed reactions
##### Some advocates worry the registry could put survivors at risk
Kentucky lawmakers take new aim at domestic violence registry, causing mixed reactions
By Fernando Garcia-Franceschini
Published: Sep. 8, 2026 at 8:52 PM EDT| Updated: 4 hours ago
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB+WAVE) — A bill in Frankfort could create a domestic violence offender registry in Kentucky, allowing people to look up whether someone has a history of domestic violence convictions.
This is not the first time lawmakers have tried to create a domestic violence registry. Some advocates say it could do more harm than good.
The registry would not include the names of every person who has committed domestic violence. Rep. Kim Holloway says the government should still disclose the information it has on repeated patterns of violence. Advocates have concerns about who would be listed, how the registry would work, and whether it would protect victims.
## What would trigger registration
At a judiciary committee hearing in Frankfort, Holloway said the registry would not include people who have been accused of domestic violence. An allegation would not place a person on the registry, and neither would an arrest or the filing of a protective order.
Registration would follow a criminal conviction, a guilty plea, or an Alford plea for a qualifying domestic violence offense. One conviction would not place a person’s information on a public website.
Following one qualifying conviction, an individual would be registered for five years, with that information available only to law enforcement. Public disclosure would begin with a repeat offender. After two qualifying convictions, registration would last seven years. After three, it would be 10 years. After four, it would be 20 years.
The information available to the public would be limited to identifying information necessary to determine whether a person has been convicted, along with conviction information and a photograph. The registry would not publish a person’s home address, Social Security number, driver’s license number, or other government identification numbers.
The bill would also require online dating services serving Kentucky users to conduct criminal background checks and flag profiles involving qualifying domestic violence convictions.
“The purpose of this bill is information. Domestic violence frequently occurs as a pattern of behavior rather than as an isolated incident,” Holloway said.
Holloway said many criminal convictions are already public record, but that does not mean they are readily available to the average Kentuckian.
Holloway also said there is little direct empirical research demonstrating either the effectiveness or unintended consequences of a domestic violence offender registry, and that the absence of perfect information should not require concealing information already possessed about demonstrated patterns of criminal violence.
## Survivors voice support
The proposal has support from survivors across the state. Two spoke in Frankfort last week.
One survivor said she was assaulted and punched in the head hard enough to break her jaw and some of her teeth. She said she has had six surgeries to reconstruct her face, including metal replacing her jawbone.
“The person that assaulted me was able to walk away from that moment, and I didn’t. I’ve had to carry the consequences of the violence with me every day since that day, and that is why I’m here. I support this DV registry because I believe Kentucky needs to take persistent domestic violence seriously. This isn’t about revenge. It’s about accountability. It’s about recognizing the pattern of behavior. There’s a difference between one terrible decision and someone who repeatedly demonstrates violence towards intimate partners. When there’s a documented pattern, that pattern matters,” she said.
She said the person who causes harm does not necessarily appear dangerous, and can be charming, loving, a friend or a favorite coworker. She said a new partner may have no idea what happened before them, and a person should not have to become a victim before a pattern is recognized.
## Advocates raise concerns
Lawmakers are struggling to get approval from advocates like Zero-V.
“Because of all the potential downsides for survivors, we are not in support of creating a registry,” said Meg Savage, chief legal officer for Zero-V.
Savage said Zero-V’s concerns include the possibility that victims could end up on the registry themselves, and that the database could give people a false sense of safety.
Savage said research shows that only 8 to 9 percent of women who are arrested and charged with domestic violence are actually using violence as a tactic to maintain power and control over a partner. She said most of the remaining women are using violence to combat violence they are experiencing from a male partner, and that the wrong person can end up arrested when police are called.
“What happens is something’s going down, somebody calls the police, and then the wrong person winds up being arrested,” she explained. “It’s something that we try to address every day, but we still don’t have it down perfectly.”
Savage pointed to Kentucky’s sex offender registry, which has existed for more than 30 years.
“How many of us have ever thought before we ever take that first date ... oh, I need to go look on the sex offender registry first and make sure that person isn’t on it. So it’s just really not part of human nature,” Savage said.
Savage said Zero-V would need to see evidence that this type of registry would work before supporting it. She said the organization is finishing a project surveying domestic violence survivors across the state and expects to share findings by the end of September or early October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Tennessee is the only state with a domestic violence registry. It did not become law until January 2026.
- WAVE - 725 S. Floyd Street - Louisville, KY 40203 - (502) 585-2201
PUBLICFILE@WAVE3.COM - (502) 585-2201