 All this month, get any smartphone 32-gigand under for 50% off regular price at Appalachian Wireless. Better service, bigger savings. That's today's Appalachian Wireless. While supplies last, two-year agreement required. Several states across the country are passing so-called Blue Lives Matter bills, which classifies some attacks on first responders as hate crimes. The Kentucky House passed a similar bill this week, but not without some controversy. EKB news reporter Sean Allen has the details. 93rd District State Representative Chris Harris has been catching a little heat in recent days since casting his opposing vote for House Bill 14, Blue Lives Matter, a bill that seeks to enhance penalties for violent crimes against police officers. Senator Ray S. Jones II has recently taken to social media saying he doesn't understand how anyone could oppose this bill. Our police officers and first responders should be protected from hate crimes. And we have seen numerous incidents around the country of police officers and even first responders being targeted just simply because of the position that they hold. I think the bill needs to be amended to include police officers' families. This bill is not going to solve the entire issue, but it says to our police officers, first responders, that you matter to us, that we value your sacrifice and if someone attacks you because of the position that you hold, that they're going to be held accountable and they will receive enhanced punishment. So I fully support the bill. I can't see why anyone would vote against an important piece of legislation like this. Representative Harris explained his opposition on KET's Kentucky Tonight, saying that penalties for crimes against police officers are already in place and that the bill is politically motivated. Let me first say today, all lives matter. Not just blue lives, not just black lives matter, but all lives matter. And I felt like this bill was a, it was just a political feel-good bill. I didn't feel like it did anything really to protect our first responders over and above what, you know, we kept hearing stories in the house about so and so, heard this time that somebody was hunting a police officer. And they were hunting, you know, hunting our police officers. Well, if you're hunting a police officer, the full brunt of the law is going to come down on you. You're not ever going to get out of jail. You're not ever, you know, if you don't go to the death, receive the death penalty. Because there were advanced penalties on the books already. There are already those in place. The bill passed the House with a 77 to 13 vote and is now in front of the Senate for consideration. Reporting from Pikeville for EKB News, I'm Sean Allen.