Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Arkansas General Assembly, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
1 State of Arkansas As Engrossed: S4/8/25
2 95th General Assembly
A Bill
3 Regular Session, 2025 HOUSE BILL 1777
4
5 By: Representative Gazaway
6 By: Senator Gilmore
7
8 For An Act To Be Entitled
9 AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE OFFENSE OF
10 SEXUALLY GROOMING A CHILD; TO INCLUDE BRIBING OR
11 ATTEMPTING TO BRIBE A CHILD IN THE OFFENSE OF
12 SEXUALLY GROOMING A CHILD; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
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14
15 Subtitle
16 TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING THE OFFENSE
17 OF SEXUALLY GROOMING A CHILD; AND TO
18 INCLUDE BRIBING OR ATTEMPTING TO BRIBE A
19 CHILD IN THE OFFENSE OF SEXUALLY
20 GROOMING A CHILD.
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22 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
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24 SECTION 1. Arkansas Code � 5-27-307 is amended to read as follows:
25 5-27-307. Sexually grooming a child.
26 (a) As used in this section,:
27 (1) "Bribe" means to offer or bestow any property, gift, good,
28 or service or to withhold any property, gift, good or service with the
29 purpose of garnering acceptance, cooperation, or compliance; and
30 (2) "disseminates" "Disseminates" means to allow to view,
31 expose, furnish, present, sell, or otherwise distribute.
32 (b) A person commits sexually grooming a child if, he or she knowingly
33 disseminates to a child thirteen (13) years of age or younger with or without
34 consideration a visual or print medium depicting sexually explicit conduct
35 with the purpose to entice, induce, or groom the a child thirteen (13) years
36 of age or younger to engage in the following with a person:
*CEB176* 04-08-2025 14:12:01 CEB176
As Engrossed: S4/8/25 HB1777
1 (1) Sexual intercourse;
2 (2) Sexually explicit conduct; or
3 (3) Deviate sexual activity in sexual intercourse, sexually
4 explicit conduct, or deviate sexual activity, he or she:
5 (1) Disseminates to the child with or without consideration a
6 visual or print medium depicting sexually explicit conduct; or
7 (2) Bribes or attempts to bribe the child to participate in
8 sexual intercourse, sexually explicit conduct, or deviate sexual activity.
9 (c) Sexually grooming a child is a:
10 (1) Class D felony if the actor is twenty-one (21) years of age
11 or older; or
12 (2) Class A misdemeanor if the actor is younger than twenty-one
13 (21) years of age.
14 (d) It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this section
15 that the actor was not more than three (3) years older than the victim.
16 (e) It is not a defense to prosecution under this section that the
17 actor does not know the age of the child or believes the child is fourteen
18 (14) years of age or older.
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20 /s/Gazaway
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2 04-08-2025 14:12:01 CEB176Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.