Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

Tennessee House Bill HB0311 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1
2		-	SENATE BILL 538
3		-	By Stevens
	2	+	<BillNo> <Sponsor>
4	3
5	4		HOUSE BILL 311
6	5		By Darby
7	6
8	7
9	8		HB0311
10	9		000153
11	10		- 1 -
12	11
13	12		AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 33;
14	13		Title 37; Title 39 and Title 52, relative to the
15	14		Autism Spectrum Online Protection Act.
16	15
17	16		WHEREAS, the purpose of this act is to protect autistic young adults between eighteen
18	17		and twenty-five years of age from online predators who use online platforms to groom, sext,
19	18		sextort, sexually exploit, traffic, and sexually manipulate individuals who are subject to a
20	19		conservatorship; and
21	20		WHEREAS, there are estimated to be one million ninety-one thousand people living in
22	21		conditions of modern slavery in the United States. This equates to three and three tenths
23	22		victims for every one thousand people in the country; and
24	23		WHEREAS, a 2022 investigation into violence by the Autism Research Institute found
25	24		that seventy-five and four tenths percent of participants out of one hundred ten people reported
26	25		sexual harassment, and almost sixty percent reported experiences of sexual violence compared
27	26		to fifty-six and four tenths percent and twenty-eight and two tenths percent reported by non-
28	27		autistic participants; and
29	28		WHEREAS, like the general population, female autistic individuals are at higher risk for
30	29		experiencing sexual victimization and violence. An online survey by the Autism Research
31	30		Institute found that as many as nine autistic women out of every ten have experienced sexual
32	31		violence, where seventy-five percent of the two hundred twenty-five study participants reported
33	32		that their first experience occurred during childhood or adolescence; and
34	33		WHEREAS, suicide rates in autistic individuals range from eleven percent to sixty-six
35	34		percent and significantly more premature deaths are caused by suicide in autistic individuals
36	35
37	36
38	37		- 2 - 000153
39	38
40	39		than in the general population. Trauma derived from sexual abuse during childhood is a
41	40		significant and specific risk factor for suicidal ideation in adulthood; now, therefore,
42	41		BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
43	42		SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 52, is amended by adding the following
44	43		new chapter:
45	44		52-9-101. This chapter is known and may be cited as the "Autism Spectrum
46	45		Online Protection Act."
47	46		52-9-102. As used in this chapter:
48	47		(1) "Autistic young adult" means an individual between eighteen (18) and
49	48		twenty-five (25) years of age who has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum
50	49		disorder, including, but not limited to, autistic disorder, childhood disintegrative
51	50		disorder, pervasive developmental disorder, Asperger's syndrome, low-
52	51		functioning autism, or classic autism;
53	52		(2) "Conservatorship" means the same as defined in § 34-1-101;
54	53		(3) "Exploit" means to abuse a position of vulnerability, differential power,
55	54		or trust for unlawful sexual purposes;
56	55		(4) "Groom" means to build a relationship, trust, and emotional
57	56		connection with another with intent to commit an act of exploitation, sexual
58	57		abuse, sextortion, or trafficking against the other;
59	58		(5) "Online platform" means a website, application, or digital service that
60	59		allows users to interact and communicate with others over the internet;
61	60		(6) "Sextortion" is the act of coercing an autistic young adult subject to a
62	61		conservatorship to create and send an image or video of the young adult
63	62		engaged in simulated sexual activity that is patently offensive or in sexual activity
64	63
65	64
66	65		- 3 - 000153
67	66
68	67		for the purpose of extorting money from the young adult by threatening to show
69	68		the image or video to others if payment is not sent;
70	69		(7) "Sexual abuse" means an offense under title 39, chapter 13, part 5;
71	70		and
72	71		(8) "Trafficking" means the same as "human trafficking offense" is
73	72		defined in § 39-13-314.
74	73		52-9-103.
75	74		(a) It is an offense for a person to use an online platform to engage in grooming
76	75		of another who the person knows or reasonably should know is an autistic young adult
77	76		that is subject to a conservatorship.
78	77		(b) A violation of subsection (a) is a Class A misdemeanor.
79	78		52-9-104.
80	79		(a) Online platforms are urged to implement and enforce policies to prevent and
81	80		report to local enforcement any activities prohibited by § 52-9-103 that target the highly
82	81		vulnerable population of autistic young adults.
83	82		(b) Family members or conservators of autistic young adults that are subject to a
84	83		conservatorship should have access to tools and resources to monitor and protect the
85	84		online activities of autistic young adults.
86	85		SECTION 2. This act takes effect July 1, 2025, the public welfare requiring it.