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HB2196 • 2025

Creates the crime of harmful communication with a minor.

Creates the crime of harmful communication with a minor.

Children Crime
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Representative Reschke
Last action
2025-06-27
Official status
In House Committee
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Creates the crime of harmful communication with a minor.

Digest: The Act makes a new crime about harmful activity with a minor.

What This Bill Does

  • Digest: The Act makes a new crime about harmful activity with a minor.
  • (Flesch Readability Score: 67.7).
  • Creates the crime of harmful communication with a minor.
  • Punishes by a maximum of five years' imprisonment, $125,000 fine, or both.

Limits and Unknowns

  • This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

  1. 2025-06-27 House

    In committee upon adjournment.

  2. 2025-01-17 House

    Referred to Judiciary with subsequent referral to Ways and Means.

  3. 2025-01-13 House

    First reading. Referred to Speaker's desk.

Official Summary Text

Digest: The Act makes a new crime about harmful activity with a minor. (Flesch Readability Score: 67.7).
Creates the crime of harmful communication with a minor. Punishes by a maximum of five years' imprisonment, $125,000 fine, or both.
Relating to: Relating to crimes involving minors.
Current location: In House Committee

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
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83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
House Bill 2196
Sponsored by Representative RESCHKE (Presession filed.)
SUMMARY
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject
to consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor’s brief statement of the essential features of the
measure as introduced. The statement includes a measure digest written in compliance with applicable readability
standards.
Digest: The Act makes a new crime about harmful activity with a minor. (Flesch Readability
Score: 67.7).
Creates the crime of harmful communication with a minor. Punishes by a maximum of five
years’ imprisonment, $125,000 fine, or both.
A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to crimes involving minors; creating new provisions; and amending ORS 161.005.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1.
(1) A person commits the crime of harmful communication with a minor if
the person is at least 18 years of age and knowingly engages in a pattern of written or verbal
communication with a minor that includes explicit and detailed descriptions or narrative
accounts of sexual conduct in a manner that causes harm to the minor.
(2) Harmful communication with a minor is a Class C felony.
(3) It is not a defense to a prosecution under this section that the person did not know
the minor’s age, that the person reasonably believed that the minor was at least 18 years
of age, or that the minor misrepresented the minor’s age to the person.
(4) As used in this section:
(a) “Minor” means a person under 18 years of age.
(b) “Sexual conduct” has the meaning given that term in ORS 163.472.
SECTION 2.
ORS 161.005 is amended to read:
161.005. ORS 161.005 to 161.055, 161.065, 161.085 to 161.125, 161.150 to 161.175, 161.190 to
161.275, 161.290 to 161.373, 161.405 to 161.485, 161.505 to 161.585, 161.605, 161.615 to 161.685, 161.705
to 161.737, 162.005, 162.015 to 162.035, 162.055 to 162.115, 162.135 to 162.205, 162.225 to 162.375,
162.405 to 162.425, 162.465, 163.005, 163.095, 163.107, 163.115, 163.125 to 163.145, 163.149, 163.160 to
163.208, 163.191, 163.196, 163.215 to 163.257, 163.261, 163.263, 163.264, 163.266, 163.275, 163.285,
163.305 to 163.467, 163.429, 163.432, 163.433, 163.472, 163.505 to 163.575, 163.665 to 163.693, 163.700,
163.701, 163.715, 164.005, 164.015 to 164.135, 164.138, 164.140, 164.205 to 164.270, 164.305 to 164.377,
164.395 to 164.415, 164.805, 164.857, 164.886, 165.002 to 165.102, 165.109, 165.118, 165.805, 165.815,
166.005 to 166.095, 166.119, 166.125, 166.128, 166.350, 166.382, 166.384, 166.660, 167.002 to 167.027,
167.057, 167.060 to 167.100, 167.117, 167.122 to 167.162, 167.203 to 167.252, 167.310 to 167.340, 167.350,
167.810 and 167.820 and section 1 of this 2025 Act shall be known and may be cited as Oregon
Criminal Code of 1971.
NOTE: Matter in boldfaced type in an amended section is new; matter [ italic and bracketed] is existing law to be omitted.
New sections are in boldfaced type.
LC 2196