Legislation that would establish the offense of grooming a minor for sexual activity or other prohibited behavior passed the Kentucky House by a unanimous vote on Wednesday.
House Bill 4, which was given the low number to indicate it being considered a priority measure, is sponsored by Rep. Marianne Proctor, R-Union.
During discussion on the House floor, Proctor told her colleagues, “This legislation recognizes grooming for what it is, a calculated, manipulative, deceptive process in which a predator intentionally builds a relationship with a vulnerable individual, most often a child, to gain trust, access and ultimately to exploit or abuse the victim. By putting this behavior into statute, House Bill 4 strengthens our ability to intervene earlier, hold offenders accountable and better safeguard our children and communities.”
Under the bill, if someone is 18 or older and engages in grooming behavior directed at a minor who is less than 14 years old; or being a person in a position of authority or position of special trust, as those terms are defined in existing state law, he or she engages in grooming behavior directed at a minor who is under eighteen, they would violate the proposed law.
The first provision would be a Class A Misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail, unless the minor is under 12, when it would qualify as a Class D felony, with a potential penalty of one to five years behind bars, if convicted.
The second provision, involving someone in a position of authority or special trust, grooming of anyone under 18 would be a Class D Felony, unless the victim is under 12 which would be a Class C Felony, which carries a five to 5- to 10-year prison sentence.
HB 4 was approved by the full House on a vote of 98-0 and now heads to the Senate for consideration.
(Photo: Rep. Marianne Proctor, R-Union, sponsored a bill about grooming that had unanimous support in the House, courtesy of the Legislative Research Commission via Kentucky Today)
By Tom Latek, Kentucky Today
