Starting tomorrow, July 15, most new laws passed this session take effect across Kentucky. Over the next 30 days, I’m going to highlight one of them each day (I’ll try, anyway) so you know what your legislature actually did this year and why.
First up: House Bill 4, the “Grooming a Minor” law
HB 4, sponsored by Rep. Marianne Proctor, makes it a crime to groom a child for sexual abuse, even before any assault occurs.
Under the old law, prosecutors couldn’t act until a predator had already solicited or assaulted a child. HB 4 changes that. It criminalizes the manipulative buildup, the trust-building, the grooming behavior, that predators use to prepare a child for abuse. Depending on the age of the child and whether the offender holds a position of trust (like a coach or teacher), penalties range from a misdemeanor up to a Class C felony.
The bill includes clear exceptions for legitimate conversations, like a parent, doctor, or teacher discussing age-appropriate health topics with a child, so it targets predatory conduct, not ordinary parenting or education.
This bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support because protecting kids shouldn’t be a partisan issue. Proud to have voted for it, and proud it becomes law tomorrow.
One more I want to mention: the House also passed my HB 320 this session, which would make promoting human trafficking, meaning recruiting, advertising, or arranging victims, carry the same penalty as trafficking itself. A group of students in my district brought me the idea, and their reasoning was simple and right: the trafficker is the one who makes the crime possible and turns it into a business. The House passed it unanimously, but the Senate didn’t take it up before the session ended. I hope they will next year.
