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ArkansasHB17772025 Regular SessionHouse

TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE OFFENSE OF SEXUALLY GROOMING A CHILD; AND TO INCLUDE BRIBING OR ATTEMPTING TO BRIBE A CHILD IN THE OFFENSE OF SEXUALLY GROOMING A CHILD.

Sponsored By: Jimmy Gazaway (Republican), Ben Gilmore (Republican)

Enacted

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

Child grooming crime now includes bribery

Arkansas law adds bribing or trying to bribe a child age 13 or younger to the child-grooming crime. It covers efforts to entice, induce, or groom the child into sexual intercourse, sexually explicit conduct, or deviate sexual activity with a person. A bribe includes offering, giving, or withholding property, gifts, goods, or services to gain acceptance, cooperation, or compliance. The crime also covers sharing sexually explicit visual or printed material with a child age 13 or younger for grooming purposes. Sharing includes allowing viewing, exposing, furnishing, presenting, selling, or distributing the material. The offense is a Class D felony for people age 21 or older and a Class A misdemeanor for younger people. A defendant can raise an affirmative defense that they were no more than three years older than the child. Not knowing the child's age, or believing the child was 14 or older, is not a defense.

Sponsors & Cosponsors

Sponsors

  • Jimmy Gazaway

    Republican • House

  • Ben Gilmore

    Republican • Senate

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

All Roll Calls

Yes: 230 • No: 0

House vote • 4/10/2025

House Vote - Thursday, April 10, 2025 2:49:22 PM

Yes: 96 • No: 0

Senate vote • 4/9/2025

Senate Vote - Wednesday, April 9, 2025 8:06:49 PM

Yes: 35 • No: 0

House vote • 3/31/2025

House Vote - Monday, March 31, 2025 2:45:50 PM

Yes: 99 • No: 0

Actions Timeline

  1. Notification that HB1777 is now Act 683

    4/16/2025House

  2. Correctly enrolled and ordered transmitted to the Governor's Office.

    4/10/2025House

  3. TO BE ENROLLED

    4/10/2025House

  4. Senate amendment # 1 read and concurred in.

    4/10/2025House

  5. Returned from Senate as passed, as amended # 1

    4/9/2025House

  6. Returned to the House as passed as amended # 1 .

    4/9/2025Senate

  7. Read the third time and passed.

    4/9/2025Senate

  8. REPORTED CORRECTLY ENGROSSED

    4/8/2025Senate

  9. Amendment # 1 read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and adopted, ordered engrossed.

    4/8/2025Senate

  10. Placed on second reading for purpose of amendment.

    4/8/2025Senate

  11. Returned by the Committee with the recommendation that it Do Pass as amended, Amendment # 1

    4/7/2025Senate

  12. Read first time, rules suspended, read second time, referred to JUDICIARY COMMITTEE - SENATE

    3/31/2025Senate

  13. Received from the House.

    3/31/2025Senate

  14. Read the third time and passed and ordered transmitted to the Senate.

    3/31/2025House

  15. Returned by the Committee Do Pass

    3/20/2025House

  16. Read the first time, rules suspended, read the second time and referred to the Committee on JUDICIARY COMMITTEE- HOUSE

    3/13/2025House

  17. Filed

    3/13/2025House

Bill Text

  • HB1777 - Introduced

    3/13/2025

    PDF

  • Act Version

    PDF

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