Adults who groom children for sex would face felony charges

An adult age 18 or older commits felony grooming by expressing a desire or intent to engage in sexual conduct with a child and deliberately building a false trusting relationship to manipulate the child toward future sexual conduct. A child is a person age 15 or younger. The offense is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. The conduct must be deliberate, follow a pattern, and be intended to manipulate the child; sexual conduct does not need to occur. The offense and penalty apply to crimes committed on or after August 1, 2026.

Licensing boards must revoke, deny, or refuse to renew a teacher's license upon receiving a certified conviction for grooming; police departments and county sheriffs must notify the appropriate board when a teacher is charged with listed offenses. The licensing rule covers teachers convicted of grooming. The notification duty applies to police departments and county sheriffs when a teacher is charged. The licensing action follows receipt of a certified conviction. Police and sheriffs report charges for offenses listed in the licensing law or other offenses requiring predatory-offender registration. The police and sheriff notification duty takes effect July 1, 2026. The licensing provision applies to grooming convictions under the offense effective date of August 1, 2026.

A person who commits specified offenses under the law is guilty of a felony if the person is in a current or recent position of authority over the victim, is more than 36 months older, and the victim is under 18. School employees or contractors also commit a felony for those acts when the victim is a student at their school. The authority condition applies when the victim is under 18 and the person is more than 36 months older. The school condition applies to a person employed or contracted by an elementary, middle, or high school and a student enrolled there. The school rule covers students of any age. The general penalty for the listed offenses is up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. These felony provisions apply to crimes committed on or after August 1, 2026.

The children and families commissioner must update mandated-reporter training and consult the education department. Child-protection screening guidelines must not prevent agencies from screening in and investigating alleged grooming reports because the alleged conduct happened more than three years earlier. The training duty applies to the commissioner of children, youth, and families. The screening rule applies to child-protection agencies and the commissioner's screening guidelines. Training must cover reporting student maltreatment, including for students receiving special education, and grooming and threatened sexual abuse. It must explain how to report grooming as maltreatment, identify signs, and recognize higher-risk settings. The screening rule does not require an agency to investigate every report. The training update is due by August 1, 2027. The screening provision states no separate start date.

The Department of Education receives funding to increase the capacity of the student maltreatment program. The appropriation supports the Department of Education's student maltreatment program. The funding is part of the Department of Education's general-fund appropriation. The fiscal year 2028 base is $1,441,000; the fiscal year 2029 and later base is $1,442,000.