Sexual Offenses

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Tennessee Anti-Grooming Act

This bill makes it illegal for adults to communicate or interact with minors or mentally compromised individuals in ways that could lead to sexual exploitation and sets penalties for such actions.

What This Bill Does

• Defines 'grooming' as an adult's behavior aimed at building trust, secrecy, emotional connection, or control over a minor or mentally compromised individual to entice them into sexual activities or prepare them for future abuse.
• Makes it illegal for adults to communicate with minors or mentally compromised individuals in any way that could lead to sexual exploitation, including through electronic means like social media and messaging apps.
• Sets different levels of punishment based on the age of the victim and whether the offender has a prior criminal record or holds a position of trust over the victim.
• Requires life-long community supervision for anyone who tries to meet with a minor or mentally compromised individual after grooming them, starting from July 1, 2026.
• Allows prosecution in Tennessee if someone outside the state solicits a minor located within Tennessee.

Who It Names or Affects

• Minors under the age of 18 and individuals with mental conditions that limit their capacity to understand risks.
• Adults who communicate or interact with minors or mentally compromised individuals in ways that could lead to sexual exploitation.
• Law enforcement officers posing as minors for investigations.

Terms To Know

Grooming

Behavior by an adult aimed at building trust, secrecy, emotional connection, or control over a minor or mentally compromised individual with the intent to entice them into sexual activities or prepare them for future abuse.

Mentally compromised individual

A person of any age whose mental capacity is limited or compromised to that of a child due to a medically diagnosed condition such as autism, Down syndrome, schizophrenia, major depression, debilitating anxiety, intellectual disability, or traumatic brain injury.

Simulated sexual contact

Any computer-generated or altered depiction that appears to show a minor or mentally compromised individual engaged in sexual activities.

Limits and Unknowns

• The exact increase in state incarceration costs due to this bill cannot be determined with certainty.
• This act does not replace other existing laws related to child protection, such as those involving sexual exploitation of minors, child abuse, and neglect.

Official Summary Text

This bill makes it an offense for a person to
knowingly communicate, solicit, or interact with a minor or mentally compromised individual with the intent to commit, facilitate, or encourage sexual contact, simulated sexual contact, or sexual exploitation of the minor or mentally compromised by any me
ans, including electronic communication. Such an offense is called grooming. It is not a defense that the subject of the offense is a law enforcement officer posing as a minor. As used in this bill:



"Grooming" means an act, pattern of acts, or communication by an adult with a minor or mentally compromised individual, by any medium including electronic communication, messaging, social media, text, telephone, or in person, that is intended to establish trust, secrecy, emotional connection, or control with a minor or mentally compromised individual with the intent to (i) entice, lure, or solicit the minor or mentally compromised individual to engage in sexual contact, simulated sexual contact, or exploitation; (ii) prepare, condition, or acclimate the minor or mentally compromised individual for sexual contact or exploitation; or (iii) facilitate the commission of a sexual offense against the minor.



"Mentally compromised individual" means
a person of any chronological age whose mental capacity is limited or compromised to that of a child due to a medically diagnosed condition, including, but not limited to, autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, schizophrenia, major depression, debilitating anxiety, intellectual disability, or traumatic brain injury
.



"Simulated sexual contact" means
any computer-generated or otherwise altered depiction that appears to portray a minor or mentally compromised individual engaged in sexual contact.

PUNISHMENT

This bill provides the following offense classifications for grooming:



G
enerally a Class E felony, punishable by imprisonment of one to six years and a fine of up to $3,000.


If
the victim is under 13, a Class A felony, punishable by imprisonment of 15 to 60 years and a fine of up to $50,000.


If the victim is a mentally compromised individual, a Class B felony, punishable by imprisonment of eight to 30 years and a fine of up to $25,000.


If the offender has a prior conviction for a sexual offense or violent sexual offense, a Class C felony, punishable by imprisonment of three to 15 years and a fine of up to $10,000.


If the offender holds a position of trust, authority, or supervision over the victim at the time of the offense, a Class D felony, punishable by imprisonment of two to 12 years and a fine of up to $5,000.

In addition to the above-listed punishments, this bill requires a person who commits the offense that involves an attempt to
meet, procure, or engage in sexual contact or simulated sexual contact with a minor or mentally compromised individual following grooming
on or after July 1, 2026, to receive a sentence of community supervision for life.

This bill provides that a person is subject to prosecution in this state for the offense of grooming for any conduct that originates in this state. Further, a person is subject to prosecution in this state for the offense of grooming for any conduct tha
t originates by a person out of this state, where the person solicited the conduct of a minor located in this state, or solicited a law enforcement officer posing as a minor located within this state.

This bill clarifies that its provisions are in addition to other provisions of law, including existing offenses involving sexual exploitation of a minor, child abuse and child neglect or endangerment, or other child protection offenses.

Current Bill Text

SENATE BILL 2566
By Bowling

HOUSE BILL 2317
By Barrett
HB2317
012152
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39
and Title 40, relative to the "Tennessee Anti-
Grooming Act".

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, Chapter 13, Part 5, is amended by
adding the following new section:
39-13-536. Grooming a minor.
(a) This section is known and may be cited as the "Tennessee Anti-Grooming
Act."
(b) The purpose of this section is to protect minors from sexual exploitation by
criminalizing grooming behavior and supplementing existing child protection laws.
(c) As used in this section:
(1) "Electronic communication" means a signal, message, writing, image,
sound, or data transmitted via wire, radio, internet, cellular technology, computer
applications, or an electromagnetic, photoelectronic, or photo-optical system;
(2) "Grooming" means an act, pattern of acts, or communication by an
adult with a minor or mentally compromised individual, by any medium including
electronic communication, messaging, social media, text, telephone, or in
person, that is intended to establish trust, secrecy, emotional connection, or
control with a minor or mentally compromised individual with the intent to:
(A) Entice, lure, or solicit the minor or mentally compromised
individual to engage in sexual contact, simulated sexual contact, or
exploitation;

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(B) Prepare, condition, or acclimate the minor or mentally
compromised individual for sexual contact or exploitation; or
(C) Facilitate the commission of a sexual offense against the
minor;
(3) "Mentally compromised individual" means a person of any
chronological age whose mental capacity is limited or compromised to that of a
child due to a medically diagnosed condition, including, but not limited to, autism
spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, schizophrenia, major depression,
debilitating anxiety, intellectual disability, or traumatic brain injury;
(4) "Minor" means an individual under eighteen (18) years of age;
(5) "Sexual contact" means the same as defined in § 39-13-501; and
(6) "Simulated sexual contact" means any computer-generated or
otherwise altered depiction that appears to portray a minor or mentally
compromised individual engaged in sexual contact.
(d) A person commits the offense of grooming who knowingly communicates,
solicits, or interacts with a minor or mentally compromised individual with the intent to
commit, facilitate, or encourage sexual contact, simulated sexual contact, or sexual
exploitation of the minor or mentally compromised individual by any means, including
electronic communication or personal interaction.
(e)
(1) Except as provided in subdivisions (e)(2)-(5), a violation of subsection
(d) is a Class E felony.
(2) A violation of subsection (d) is a Class A felony if the victim is a minor
under thirteen (13) years of age.

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(3) A violation of subsection (d) is a Class B felony if the victim is a
mentally compromised individual.
(4) A violation of subsection (d) is a Class C felony if the offender has a
prior conviction for a sexual offense or violent sexual offense, as those terms are
defined in § 40-39-202.
(5) A violation of subsection (d) is a Class D felony if the offender holds a
position of trust, authority, or supervision over the victim at the time of the
offense.
(f) It is not a defense to a violation of subsection (d) that the subject of the
offense is a law enforcement officer posing as a minor.
(g) A person is subject to prosecution in this state under this section for any
conduct that originates in this state, or for any conduct that originates by a person
located outside this state, where the person solicited the conduct of a minor located in
this state, or solicited a law enforcement officer posing as a minor located within this
state.
(h) This section is in addition to and does not supersede or limit other provisions
of law, including existing offenses involving sexual exploitation of a minor under § 39-17-
1003, child abuse and child neglect or endangerment under § 39-15-401, or other child
protection offenses.
SECTION 2. Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 39-13-524(a), is amended by adding
the following new subdivision:
(7) July 1, 2026, commits a violation of § 39-13-536, that involves an attempt to
meet, procure, or engage in sexual contact or simulated sexual contact with a minor or
mentally compromised individual following grooming.

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SECTION 3. The heading in this act is for reference purposes only and does not
constitute a part of the law enacted by this act. However, the Tennessee Code Commission is
requested to include the heading in any compilation or publication containing this act.
SECTION 4. This act takes effect July 1, 2026, the public welfare requiring it.