Bill > HF3489

This bill establishes a new criminal offense called "grooming," which involves a person 18 or older expressing a desire to engage in sexual conduct with a child and engaging in a pattern of conduct to build a false trusting relationship with the child to manipulate them into future sexual conduct, regardless of whether any sexual conduct occurs. It also enhances penalties for grooming and related offenses when committed by individuals in positions of authority or by those employed by schools, making them felonies. The bill requires law enforcement agencies to notify licensing boards when a teacher is criminally charged with certain offenses, and mandates that the Commissioner of Children, Youth, and Families update mandated reporter training to include specific modules on identifying and reporting grooming. Furthermore, it clarifies that screening guidelines for child protection should not limit the investigation of alleged grooming that occurred more than three years prior to the report, and appropriates funds to the Department of Education, including an increase for the student maltreatment program.