TO:	Honorable John Whitmire, Chair, Senate Committee on Criminal Justice
FROM:	Jerry McGinty, Director, Legislative Budget Board
IN RE:	SB1562 by Hancock (Relating to creating the criminal offense of child grooming.), As Introduced

The bill would create the criminal offense of child grooming for a person who, with the intent that an offense related to prostitution or involving sexual activity which would subject the actor to certain criminal liability be committed, knowingly persuades, induces, entices, or coerces, or attempts to do so, a child younger than 18 years of age to engage in specific conduct that would constitute an offense related to prostitution or involving sexual activity or make the child a party to the commission of such an offense. The bill would make child grooming a third degree felony but would increase it to a second degree felony in cases of certain previous convictions. 

The fiscal impact and any impact on state correctional populations or on the demand for state correctional resources cannot be determined due to a lack of data to estimate the prevalence of conduct outlined in the bill's provisions that would be subject to criminal penalties. 

Local Government Impact

While the fiscal impact to units of local government cannot be determined, creating a criminal offense may result in increased demands upon local correctional resources due to a possible increase in the number of individuals placed under supervision in the community or sentenced to a term of confinement.