It was a case out of Northern Kentucky that led to Senate passage Wednesday of a bill to outlaw child “sex dolls” and make computer-generated child sexual abuse material a felony in Kentucky.
Rep. Stephanie Dietz (R-Edgewood) is the sponsor of the legislation in House Bill 207, passed unanimously in the Senate one month after the bill passed the Kentucky House. Dietz first introduced legislation that would become HB 207 last year at the request of Kenton Commonwealth’s Attorney Rob Sanders, following a state Court of Appeals ruling involving a 2019 sex crime case originating in Kenton County.
The ruling in Master v. Commonwealth vacated the Kenton Circuit Court’s judgment denying a motion to suppress evidence in the case. A child sex doll was a factor in the case.
“In short, the possession of an anatomically correct child sex doll is not illegal in Kentucky and therefore cannot be used as probable cause to search any further for child pornography,” Sen. Chris McDaniel (R-Ryland Heights) said Wednesday after calling for passage of HB 207 in the Senate.
The bill now returns to the House for agreement on minor Senate changes. HB 207 first passed the House 93-0 on Feb. 5.
Supporters say HB 207 would fix a legal loophole, allowing law enforcement to use possession of a child sex doll as probable cause to search someone’s property for further evidence. It would make possession (as well as selling and transporting) of child sex dolls a felony sex crime.
The bill would also make it a felony to create or promote computer-generated child pornography.
The computer component– targeting artificial intelligence, or AI-generated abuse material — was added to Dietz’s bill this year. The child sex doll provisions are similar to those Dietz proposed in 2023 HB 182. That legislation did not advance during the 2023 legislative session.
“There is no question, no gray area, or what this type of doll is made for and used for ” when found by law enforcement, Attorney General’s Deputy Commissioner for Counter Exploitation Jeremy Murrell said when testifying on HB 207 before a House committee last month.
McDaniel – who advised the Senate to escort children out of the chamber before Wednesday’s discussion and vote on HB 207 – said the need for the bill requires lawmakers to “be comfortable today having this uncomfortable conversation so that we can protect Kentucky’s children from child exploitation and abuse.”
“This piece of legislation will give our law enforcement the tools that they need to protect our children from predators and exploitation,” McDaniel said. “It will save countless children from rape, sexual abuse and trafficking.”
Adults convicted of a sex crime in Kentucky are required to have their name added to a public sex offender registry. That registry is searchable by employers, family, friends, neighbors and anyone else. State law also limits where a sex offender can live (for example, sex offenders in Kentucky cannot live near schools, child daycare centers or playgrounds ).
After HB 207’s Senate passage Wednesday, Dietz told LINK nky she is “grateful” for the bill’s progress.
“I’m grateful to Sen. McDaniel for his help in the Senate and look forward to having the Governor sign so that our law enforcement can get to work in protecting our children,” Dietz told LINK nky.
Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman also worked with Dietz on HB 207 earlier this year. In a press release last month, Coleman called the bill “a unanimous step toward protecting our children from exploitation.
“We must stop this evil here,” he said in the press statement. “Law enforcement and prosecutors must have innovative tools to take on criminals who prey on our kids with AI-generated child sex abuse material and sickening child sex dolls. If we don’t, these predators are likely to escalate to the hands-on sexual abuse of children.”
Also headed to the House after passing the Senate on Wednesday is Senate Bill 249 – legislation requiring child sex offenders to give their full legal name on social media platforms. Those who violate the law would face a misdemeanor charge on a first offense. Each subsequent violation would be a felony carrying one to five years in prison.
SB 249 passed the Senate unanimously. Sen. Lindsey Tichenor (R-Smithfield) is the bill sponsor. That bill also now goes to the House for consideration.
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