Correction: An earlier version of this story identified Democratic Sen. Morgan McGarvey as being the Senate Republican Leader. The error has been corrected. We regret the error.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — This weekend marks the second anniversary of the double fatal shooting at a suburban Louisville Kroger grocery store.

Three lawmakers are now introducing a bill to enhance Kentucky’s hate crime laws.

In 2018, a gunman opened fire on two customers in a racially motivated fatal shooting inside a Louisville Kroger grocery store and the parking lot.

Minority Floor Leader Morgan McGarvey (D) tells Spectrum News 1, “They were shot because of the color of their skin. Even more alarming the person who shot them right before he went to the Kroger had tried to go to a black church to go in and open fire on the congregation there.”

At a hearing last year, the suspect, 52-year-old Gregory Bush was deemed mentally competent to stand trial on state charges involving the October 2018 shootings of 69-year-old Maurice Stallard and 67-year-old Vickie Lee Jones.

Bush pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder, two counts of wanton endangerment and one count of attempted murder in an earlier court appearance.

Kelli Watson is the daughter of Maurice Stallard who was shot and killed inside the store. She says, “We miss my father every single day. We’ve now missed holidays, we’ve missed birthdays and add to that all that we are experiencing within our community now, the constant replay of Black people being harassed and murdered.”

Samuella Gathright, sister of Vickie Jones who was shot and killed outside in the parking lot says, “This man took her from us, took my sister who I loved from us for no reason. She did not, I did not ask to be born as a Negro, but we were."

A bipartisan group of legislators is working together after they recently drafted legislation to enhance stricter penalties for people against hate crimes.

Commonwealth’s Attorney Tom Wine explained that the proposed bill known as Bill Request 439 will enhance penalties for crimes motivated by hatred because of the victim’s race, color, ethnicity, religion, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

“If someone commits an offense it’s going to increase, that’s motivated by hate, and it’s going to increase the penalty for that offense, if someone commits a felony that helps, If they commit a misdemeanor such as going to a cemetery and marking on a tombstone or going to a church and just spray painting and not being a felony it will still require that they serve time,” explains Wine.

The new legislation is backed by lawmakers including Senators Morgan McGarvey, D-Louisville; Gerald Neal, D-Louisville; and Julie Raque Adams, R-Louisville; It’s a move they all say has a broad impact.

“I find the best policy oftentimes is built through consensus so it’s great that we have Democrats and Republicans coming together to recognize the importance of Kentucky needing a hate crime bill,” says McGarvey. 

"I think people want to start seeing something happen and so it’s really exciting for me to be a participant in this dialogue because it’s very appropriate for our community right now and for our state right now,” adds Raque Adams.

Families of the victims believe these bills have been a long time coming and have faith lawmakers in the Commonwealth can come together to get them passed.

“There needs to be an appropriate level of justice and accountability. This legislation will hopefully add and prevent this from occurring for other people so that hate crimes can be prevented,” adds Watson.

Lawmakers and Watson agreed alike that the changing of the law could be a step forward in making communities in the commonwealth safer.

“It says we’re not going to tolerate hate in Kentucky and I think that’s an important message we have to send and hopefully it will also help people think before they do something like this,” says McGarvey.

Bill Request 439 will be considered when the Kentucky General Assembly Reconvenes for the 2021 regular session this January.

A pretrial conference for Bush's case is scheduled for December 15, according to online court records.

If convicted on the federal charges, bush could face the death penalty or life in prison.