08/28/2026
Several new Missouri laws take effect today that help protect against exploitation and help those who have already been exploited. They are Missouri House Bill 2273, 1814, and 2551. Below is a quick summary of many of the provisions.
Grooming Laws: Creates a brand-new, explicit criminal offense for the s*xual "grooming of a minor".
Online Protection: Includes the Evan's Voice Act to crack down on the online extortion of children and "sadistic online exploitation."
Trafficking Penalties: Increases criminal penalties for child s*x trafficking and extends the time survivors have to sue for damages.
Mandatory Training: Requires regular, mandatory s*x and human trafficking prevention training for peace officers, EMTs, social workers, and prosecuting attorneys.
Statute Terminology: Updates outdated state statutes by replacing the term "child po*******hy" with "child s*xual abuse material"
Grooming Penalties: Explicitly establishes grooming a minor as a Class B felony, which elevates to a Class A felony if s*xual contact, s*xual performance, or a commercial s*x act takes place.
No Early Release: Mandates a strict five-year minimum prison sentence without eligibility for probation, parole, or conditional release.
Victim Restitution: Requires offenders to pay full restitution to cover the victim's mental health rehabilitation, physical therapy, housing relocation, or educational disruption.
S*x Offender Registry: Updates state tier lists to classify grooming as a Tier I s*xual offense and nonconsensual dissemination of private s*xual images as a Tier II s*xual offense.
Registry Tier Additions: Automatically places anyone convicted under the new child grooming offense onto the Tier I s*xual offense registry.
S*xtortion Classifications: Adds the nonconsensual dissemination of private s*xual images (and the threat of doing so) involving a victim aged 17 or younger to the Tier II s*xual offense registry.
Victim Compensation Fee: Mandates that anyone found guilty of distributing or threatening to distribute private s*xual images must pay an additional $500 to $5,000 fee, which is deposited directly into the state's Crime Victims' Compensation Fund
