FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky House committee has advanced a bill to raise the minimum dollar amount required for the crime of felony theft. The measure would increase the threshold for felony theft to $1,000 from the current $500. The result would be that property thefts under $1,000 would be considered a misdemeanor, which carries a lesser penalty. The House Judiciary Committee advanced the bill Wednesday. It heads to the full House next. Supporters tout the higher felony theft threshold as a way to reduce prison populations and thus corrections costs for the state. They say the threshold hasn’t kept pace with inflation.
