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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 6737
January Session, 2023
LCO No. 4240
Referred to Committee on JUDICIARY
Introduced by:
(JUD)
AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE CRIME OF HARMFUL
COMMUNICATION WITH A MINOR.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective October 1, 2023) (a) As used in this 1
section: 2
(1) "Minor" means any person under eighteen years of age, or who 3
the actor reasonably believes to be under eighteen years of age; 4
(2) "Interactive computer service" has the same meaning as 5
provided in section 53a-90a of the general statutes; 6
(3) "Inappropriate relationship" means a relationship that is patently 7
offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community as a whole 8
with respect to what is a suitable relationship between an adult and a 9
minor; and 10
(4) "Harmful to the minor" means communication with a minor that 11
is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community as 12
a whole with respect to what is a suitable form of communication 13
between an adult and a minor. 14 Bill No. 6737
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(b) A person, who is twenty-one years of age or older, is guilty of 15
harmful communication with a minor when such person uses an 16
interactive computer service or text message to knowingly persuade, 17
induce, entice or coerce a minor, to: (1) Share a photographic or other 18
recorded image of the minor for the purpose of providing sexual 19
gratification to the person who requests that the image be shared, (2) 20
share a photographic or other recorded image of the minor, which the 21
person who requests the image then disseminates to one or more third 22
persons for the purpose of providing sexual gratification to such third 23
persons, (3) engage in any communication that is part of a pattern of 24
communication or behavior designed to form or maintain an 25
inappropriate relationship, or (4) engage in any communication that is 26
harmful to the minor. 27
(c) For the purposes of this section, a violation may be deemed to 28
have been committed either at the place where the communication 29
originated or at the place where it was received. 30
(d) Harmful communication with a minor is a class A misdemeanor. 31
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 October 1, 2023 New section
JUD Joint Favorable