HCS/HB 615 - Under current law, a statement made by a child under 14 years of age may be admissible in criminal proceedings under certain circumstances. This act changes the age to a child under the age of 18 years of age.
Additionally, this act provides that visual or audio recordings of a child under 18 years of age or a vulnerable person relating to certain criminal offenses shall be admissible in criminal proceedings under certain circumstances.
These provisions are identical to provisions in the perfected HCS/HB 1464 (2025) and substantially similar provisions in SB 83 (2025), SB 143 (2025), SS/SCS/HCS/HB 1659 (2024), SCS/SB 1245 (2024), SCS/SB 897 (2024), HCS#2/HB 1886 (2024), SCS/HCS/HB 2700 (2024), the perfected HCS/HB 454 (2023), and SCS/HS/HCS/HBs 1108 & 1181, et al (2023).
Under current law, a person over 21 years old commits the offense of enticement of a child if he or she persuades any person less than 15 years old to engage in sexual conduct. This act changes the age to less than 17 years old.
Additionally, this act modifies the offense of patronizing prostitution. If the person patronized for prostitution is ages 15 to 17 it shall be a class E felony and if the person is less than 15 years old it shall be a class B felony.
These provisions are identical to provisions in SB 143 (2025), SB 148 (2025), SB 755 (2025), SB 284 (2025), SB 352 (2025), SS/SCS/HCS/HB 1659 (2024), SS#2/SCS/SB 811 (2024), SB 906 (2024), SB 1245 (2024), SB 1398 (2024), HCS/SS#3/SB 22 (2023), in CCS/HCS/SS/SCS/SB 72 (2023), in HCS/HB 454 (2023), in HS/HCS/HBs 1108 & 1181 (2023), HB 1637 (2022), in SCS/HB 2088, HB 1705 & HCS/HB 1699 (2022), HB 2590 (2022), and in SCS/HB 2697, HB 1589, HB 1637 & HCS/HB 2127 (2022).
This act provides that the court shall award restitution payable to the newly created Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation Fund when a person pleads guilty to or is convicted of a human trafficking offense. The Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation Fund shall allocate funds as described in the act towards local rehabilitation services for victims of human trafficking and local efforts to prevent human trafficking.
This provision is substantially similar to a provision in SB 143 (2025), SB 284 (2025), SS/SCS/HCS/HB 1659 (2024), SCS/HCS/HBs 1706 & 1539 (2024), and SB 1398 (2024) and similar to a provision in SB 906 (2024).
This act adds that a person who pleads guilty to a class E felony shall pay a fee of $46 payable to the Crime Victims' Compensation Fund.
This provision is identical to a provision in SB 143 (2025), SB 352 (2025), SS/SCS/HCS/HB 1659 (2024), SCS/SB 897 (2024), HCS#2/HB 1886 (2024), HCS/HB 2700 (2024), HCS/SS#3/SB 22 (2023), in CCS/HCS/SS/SCS/SB 72 (2023), and in HS/HCS/HBs 1108 & 1181 (2023).
SARAH HASKINS