AN ACT CONCERNING ENTICEMENT OF A JUVENILE TO COMMIT A CRIMINAL ACT.

House of Representatives
HB5429 / File No. 518 1

General Assembly File No. 518
February Session, 2026 House Bill No. 5429

House of Representatives, April 8, 2026

The Committee on Judiciary reported through REP.
STAFSTROM of the 129th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee
on the part of the House, that the bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING ENTICEMENT OF A JUVENILE TO COMMIT A
CRIMINAL ACT.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:

Section 1. Section 53a -225 of the general statutes is repealed and the 1
following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective October 1, 2026): 2
(a) For purposes of this section, "criminal act" means criminal act, as 3
defined in section 53a-224. 4
(b) A person is guilty of enticing a juvenile to commit a criminal act 5
if such person is [twenty-three] twenty-one years of age or older and 6
knowingly causes, encourages, solicits, recruits, intimidates or coerces a 7
person under eighteen years of age to commit or participate in the 8
commission of a criminal act. 9
(c) Enticing a juvenile to commit a criminal act is a (1) class A 10
misdemeanor for first offense, and (2) class D felony for any subsequent 11
offense. 12
HB5429 File No. 518

HB5429 / File No. 518 2

This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:

Section 1 October 1, 2026 53a-225

JUD Joint Favorable

HB5429 File No. 518

HB5429 / File No. 518 3

The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of
the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not
represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose. In general,
fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional
knowledge. Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final
products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.

OFA Fiscal Note

State Impact:
Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $
Correction, Dept.; Judicial Dept.
(Probation)
GF - Potential
Cost
Minimal Minimal
Resources of the General Fund GF - Potential
Revenue Gain
Minimal Minimal
Note: GF=General Fund
Municipal Impact: None
Explanation
The bill, which lowers the age at which a person can commit the crime
of “enticing a juvenile to commit a criminal act ,” results in a potential
cost to the Department of Correction and the Judicial Department for
incarceration or probation and a potential revenue gain to the General
Fund from fines. On average, the marginal cost to the state for
incarcerating an offender for the year is $3,300 1 while the average
marginal cost for supervision in the community is less than $ 6002 each
year for adults.
The Out Years
The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would
continue into the future subject to the number of offenses and fines
collected.

1 Inmate marginal cost is based on increased consumables (e.g., food, clothing, water,
sewage, living supplies, etc.) This does not include a change in staffing costs or utility
expenses because these expenses would only be realized if a unit or facility o pened.
2 Probation marginal cost is based on services provided by private providers and only
includes costs that increase with each additional participant. This does not include a
cost for additional supervision by a probation officer unless a new offense is
anticipated to result in enough additional offenders to require additional probation
officers.
HB5429 File No. 518

HB5429 / File No. 518 4

OLR Bill Analysis
HB 5429

AN ACT CONCERNING ENTICEMENT OF A JUVENILE TO COMMIT
A CRIMINAL ACT.

SUMMARY
This bill reduces, from 23 years to 21 years, the minimum age at
which a person can commit the crime of “enticing a juvenile to commit
a criminal act.”
Under current law, a person is guilty of this crime if he or she is at
least age 23 and knowingly causes, encourages, solicits, recruits,
intimidates, or coerces a person under age 18 (a minor) to commit or
participate in the commission of a criminal act. The bill reduces the
offender’s age to at least 21 years, making it possible for 21- and 22-year-
olds to commit this offense.
By law, enticing a juvenile to commit a criminal act is a (1) class A
misdemeanor for a first violation and (2) class D felony for a subsequent
offense. A class A misdemeanor is punishable by up to 364 days in
prison, a fine up to $2,000, or both; a class D felony is punishable by up
to five years in prison, a fine up to $5,000, or both. A “criminal act” is
conduct that is a felony or a misdemeanor, but it does not include
recruiting a member of a criminal gang.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2026
COMMITTEE ACTION
Judiciary Committee
Joint Favorable
Yea 19 Nay 17 (03/24/2026)