HB4 Creates Grooming Minor Offense Under KRS Chapter 510
Summary
Kentucky HB4 was signed into law on April 10, 2026, creating a new criminal offense of grooming a minor under KRS Chapter 510. The legislation amends KRS 510.010 to define key terms including 'course of conduct,' 'grooming behavior,' and 'sexual conduct.' The bill passed unanimously in both chambers, with final House passage on veto override 92-0 and Senate passage 38-0.
What changed
Kentucky HB4 creates a new section of KRS Chapter 510 establishing the offense of grooming a minor, a criminal law creating new compliance obligations. The legislation amends KRS 510.010 to add definitions for 'course of conduct,' 'grooming behavior,' and 'sexual conduct,' with additional conforming amendments throughout the statute.\n\nAffected parties including employers with workers who interact with minors, educational institutions, youth organizations, and healthcare providers should monitor implementation of this new criminal offense. The law carries potential criminal penalties for violations, though specific penalty provisions are found in the underlying KRS Chapter 510 sections. Organizations should review policies and training programs to ensure compliance with the new grooming offense provisions.
What to do next
- Monitor for implementation of new grooming offense under KRS Chapter 510
- Review internal policies regarding interactions with minors
Archived snapshot
Apr 13, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
ChangeBridge / Kentucky / HB4 Signed by Governor HB4 House Bill Signed by Governor 2026-04-10
AN ACT relating to grooming a minor.
Create a new section of KRS Chapter 510 to establish the offense of grooming a minor; amend KRS 510.010 to define "course of conduct," "grooming behavior," and "sexual conduct"; amend various sections to conform; make technical corrections.
Bill Details
State Kentucky
Session 2026 Regular Session
Chamber House
Official Source apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/26RS/hb4.html
LegiScan View on LegiScan
Sponsors
Marianne Proctor (Rep - R) Kimberly Banta (Rep - R) Shane Baker (Rep - R) Ryan Bivens (Rep - R) Steve Bratcher (Rep - R) George Brown (Rep - D) Josh Calloway (Rep - R) Beverly Chester-Burton (Rep - D) Jennifer Henson Decker (Rep - R) Steven Doan (Rep - R) Ryan Dotson (Rep - R) Daniel Elliott (Rep - R) Patrick Flannery (Rep - R) Chris Fugate (Rep - R) Jim Gooch (Rep - R) Deanna Frazier Gordon (Rep - R) Peyton Griffee (Rep - R) Daniel Grossberg (Rep - D) Vanessa Grossl (Rep - R) David Hale (Rep - R) Tony Hampton (Rep - R) Mark Hart (Rep - R) John Hodgson (Rep - R) Kimberly Holloway (Rep - R) Thomas Huff (Rep - R) Mary Imes (Rep - R) DJ Johnson (Rep - R) Chris Lewis (Rep - R) Matt Lockett (Rep - R) Savannah Maddox (Rep - R) Candy Massaroni (Rep - R) Kimberly Moser (Rep - R) Jason Nemes (Rep - R) David Osborne (Rep - R) Felicia Rabourn (Rep - R) T.J. Roberts (Rep - R) Scott Sharp (Rep - R) Nancy Tate (Rep - R) Walker Thomas (Rep - R) James Tipton (Rep - R) Billy Wesley (Rep - R) Richard White (Rep - R)
Action History
2026-04-10 H signed by Governor 2026-03-31 H delivered to Governor 2026-03-31 H enrolled, signed by President of the Senate 2026-03-31 H enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House 2026-03-31 H passed 92-0 2026-03-31 H House concurred in Committee Substitute (1) 2026-03-31 H posted for passage for concurrence in Senate 2026-03-27 H to Rules (H) 2026-03-27 H received in House 2026-03-26 S 3rd reading, passed 38-0 with Committee Substitute (1) 2026-03-25 S passed over and retained in the Orders of the Day 2026-03-24 S passed over and retained in the Orders of the Day 2026-03-20 S posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Tuesday, March 24 2026 2026-03-20 S 2nd reading, to Rules 2026-03-19 S reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1) 2026-03-16 S to Judiciary (S) 2026-02-05 S to Committee on Committees (S) 2026-02-05 S received in Senate 2026-02-04 H 3rd reading, passed 98-0 with Floor Amendment (2) 2026-02-03 H posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Wednesday, February 04 2026 2026-02-03 H floor amendment (2) and (3) filed 2026-02-02 H floor amendment (1) filed 2026-01-29 H 2nd reading, to Rules 2026-01-28 H reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar 2026-01-21 H to Judiciary (H) 2026-01-13 H to Committee on Committees (H) 2026-01-13 H introduced in House
Votes
2026-02-04 House: Third Reading RCS# 52 Yea: 98 Nay: 0 2026-02-04 House: Veto Override RCS# 52 Yea: 98 Nay: 0 2026-03-26 Senate: Third Reading RSN# 4022 Yea: 38 Nay: 0 2026-03-31 House: Veto Override RCS# 359 Yea: 92 Nay: 0
Committee Referrals
2026-01-13 H Committee On Committees 2026-01-21 H Judiciary 2026-01-29 H Rules 2026-02-05 S Committee on Committees 2026-03-16 S Judiciary 2026-03-20 S Rules 2026-03-27 H Rules
Amendments
0000-00-00 House Floor Amendment 0000-00-00 House Floor Amendment 0000-00-00 House Floor Amendment 0000-00-00 Senate Committee Substitute 0000-00-00 Senate Committee Substitute 0000-00-00 Senate Committee Substitute
Bill Text Versions
0000-00-00 Introduced 0000-00-00 Engrossed 0000-00-00 Enrolled
Subjects
Children and Minors Crimes and Punishments Criminal Procedure Corrections Impact Local Mandate Legislative data powered by LegiScan (CC BY 4.0)
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