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.

Creating a criminal offense may result in increased demands upon state and 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.

In fiscal year 2022, there were 7,645 individuals arrested, 1,409 individuals placed on adult community supervision, and 1,223 individuals admitted into an adult state correctional facility for an offense related to prostitution or certain sexual activity. In fiscal year 2022, there were 863 individuals placed on juvenile community supervision and 21 individuals admitted into a juvenile state correctional facility for offenses involving indecency with a child or certain sexual activity. It is unknown if any of these cases involved conduct outlined in the bill's provisions.