Kentucky Advances Anti-Grooming Bill to Criminalize Predatory Behavior

Legislation aims to stop sexual abuse of minors before it escalates to assault

Mar. 19, 2026 at 4:20pm

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The Kentucky legislature has advanced a Republican-backed bill, HB4, that would criminalize the sexual grooming of minors. The bill, which has 42 sponsors, would add a punishment for when adults groom children for sex, filling a gap in current state law. Supporters say the bill is a high priority to address the problem of child sexual abuse, with one in ten children being abused according to estimates.

Why it matters

This bill is an attempt to crack down on the predatory behavior of sexual groomers before it leads to actual sexual assault of minors. Supporters argue current laws do not adequately address this issue, and the new legislation is meant to give prosecutors more tools to intervene and prevent abuse.

The details

HB4 would create a Class A misdemeanor charge for grooming, unless the minor is younger than 12 years old, in which case it would be a Class D felony. For those in trusted positions, grooming a minor is a Class D felony unless the minor is younger than 12, in which case it is a Class C felony. The bill includes exceptions for legitimate educational and parental communications.

  • The Senate judiciary committee passed HB4 on March 19, 2026.
  • The bill now needs approval from the full House and the governor's signature to become law.

The players

Rep. Marianne Proctor

The primary sponsor of HB4, a Republican state representative from Union, Kentucky.

Louis Kelly

The commonwealth's attorney in Boone and Gallatin counties, who testified that the bill was carefully crafted to protect legitimate communications with youth.

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What they’re saying

“We've got an increasing problem across our commonwealth … one in 10 children are sexually abused, and those are the ones that we know about. Grooming is the intentional, manipulative and deceptive process where a predator developed a relationship with a child to prepare them for future acts of sexual abuse. What this bill seeks to do is to stop that behavior before it progresses to sexual assault.”

— Rep. Marianne Proctor, Primary Sponsor of HB4

“This is an intent statute. We have to prove not only that they … committed certain objective functions, but they did so with ill intent. It's an incredibly difficult barrier to do as a prosecutor. I think the only way we're going to be able to prosecute people for this is when the intent is so manifest from what they're doing.”

— Louis Kelly, Commonwealth's Attorney

What’s next

The bill now needs approval from the full Kentucky House and a signature from the governor to become law.

The takeaway

This legislation represents a concerted effort by Kentucky lawmakers to address the growing problem of child sexual abuse by criminalizing the predatory behavior of sexual groomers. If passed, it could provide prosecutors with a new tool to intervene and prevent abuse before it escalates to assault.