This past legislative session, Rep. Marianne Proctor led an effort to criminalize the grooming of children into sexual relationships—HB 4. The effort came about after prosecutors in Northern Kentucky were unable to charge adults who groomed children for future sexual relationships. Kentucky law simply had no crime on the books for that conduct. The Family Foundation supported HB 4, which unanimously passed both the House and the Senate. With HB 4 now law, police no longer have to wait for an inappropriate relationship to reach the level of physical abuse before acting. And the legislation is already making a difference. Police have arrested one alleged groomer in Graves County, the first arrest under HB 4. While the presumption of innocence is important in criminal cases, we are encouraged to see that HB 4 is already protecting kids in Kentucky, and we are thankful for Rep. Proctor’s leadership on this important issue.
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