JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — A sweeping Missouri law aimed at child grooming, sextortion and sex trafficking is now in effect, bringing significantly tougher penalties for people who target minors.
House Bill 2273 took effect Friday after being signed by Gov. Mike Kehoe earlier this year.
The legislation was sponsored by Rep. Ed Lewis and handled in the Senate by Joplin-area State Senator Jill Carter.
One of the biggest changes expands Missouri’s crime of grooming or enticing a minor.
Under the new law, a person more than four years older than someone under 18 can be charged if they attempt to persuade, solicit, entice or lure the minor with the intent of preparing or manipulating them into sexual conduct.
A conviction carries between five and 30 years in prison. If the grooming results in sexual conduct, a sexual performance or a commercial sex act, the minimum sentence increases to 10 years.
The legislation also includes the Evan’s Voice Act, aimed at sextortion and the sharing or threatened sharing of private sexual images.
Threatening to release a private sexual image of a minor or vulnerable person can now result in a Class B felony.
Sharing such an image without consent can result in a Class C felony when the victim is a minor or vulnerable person.
Courts are also required to order restitution for certain victims, including expenses related to counseling, lost income, disrupted education, relocation and removal of images from the internet.
The legislation also strengthens provisions dealing with child sex trafficking and changes terminology in Missouri law from “child pornography” to “child sexual abuse material.”
Carter said when the legislation passed that the goal was to give authorities more tools to stop predators before abuse escalates.
