Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
Act 683 of the Regular Session
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State of Arkansas As Engrossed: S4/8/25 1
95th General Assembly A Bill 2
Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1777 3
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By: Representative Gazaway 5
By: Senator Gilmore 6
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For An Act To Be Entitled 8
AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE OFFENSE OF 9
SEXUALLY GROOMING A CHILD; TO INCLUDE BRIBING OR 10
ATTEMPTING TO BRIBE A CHILD IN THE OFFENSE OF 11
SEXUALLY GROOMING A CHILD; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES. 12
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Subtitle 15
TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE OFFENSE 16
OF SEXUALLY GROOMING A CHILD; AND TO 17
INCLUDE BRIBING OR ATTEMPTING TO BRIBE A 18
CHILD IN THE OFFENSE OF SEXUALLY 19
GROOMING A CHILD. 20
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 22
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SECTION 1. Arkansas Code § 5 -27-307 is amended to read as follows: 24
5-27-307. Sexually grooming a child. 25
(a) As used in this section ,: 26
(1) "Bribe" means to offer or bestow any property, gift, good, 27
or service or to withhold any property, gift, good or service with the 28
purpose of garnering acceptance, cooperation, or compliance; and 29
(2) “disseminates” "Disseminates" means to allow to view, 30
expose, furnish, present, sell, or otherwise distribute. 31
(b) A person commits sexually grooming a child if , he or she knowingly 32
disseminates to a child thirteen (13) years of age or younger with or without 33
consideration a visual or print medium depicting sexually explicit conduct 34
with the purpose to entice, induce, or groom the a child thirteen (13) years 35
of age or younger to engage in the following with a person: 36 As Engrossed: S4/8/25 HB1777
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(1) Sexual intercourse; 1
(2) Sexually explicit conduct; or 2
(3) Deviate sexual activity in sexual intercourse, sexually 3
explicit conduct, or deviate sexual activity, he or she: 4
(1) Disseminates to the child with or without consideration a 5
visual or print medium depicting sexually explicit conduct; or 6
(2) Bribes or attempts to bribe the child to participate in 7
sexual intercourse, sexually explicit conduct, or deviate sexual activity . 8
(c) Sexually grooming a child is a: 9
(1) Class D felony if the actor is twenty -one (21) years of age 10
or older; or 11
(2) Class A misdemeanor if the actor is younger than twenty -one 12
(21) years of age. 13
(d) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this section 14
that the actor was not more than three (3) years older than the victim. 15
(e) It is not a defense to prosecution under this section that the 16
actor does not know the age of the child or believes the child is fourteen 17
(14) years of age or older. 18
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/s/Gazaway 20
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APPROVED: 4/16/25 23
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