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Bill

SB 671

Relating to: creating a crime of grooming a child for sexual activity and providing a penalty.

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Rob Hutton and 4 co-sponsors

Wisconsin proposes criminalizing child grooming specifically, creating new penalties for adults who build trust with minors to facilitate sexual abuse.

Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1
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WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · SB 671

Legislative bill overview

SB 671 creates a new criminal offense in Wisconsin law specifically targeting the grooming of children for sexual activity, with associated criminal penalties. The bill was introduced in November 2025 and is currently in the Education Committee after its first reading.

Why is this important

Child grooming—the process where adults build trust with minors to facilitate sexual abuse—is a serious predatory behavior that often precedes direct child sexual abuse. While grooming may involve conduct already criminalized under existing laws, creating a specific grooming statute allows prosecutors to charge this preparatory behavior directly and signals legislative intent to address this particular harm to children.

Potential points of contention

  • Definition specificity: The exact definition of "grooming" matters significantly—overly broad definitions could capture legitimate adult-child relationships or mentorship, while narrow ones may leave gaps in protection.
  • First Amendment concerns: Depending on how the statute defines prohibited communications, it could intersect with free speech protections, particularly regarding online speech or discussions about sexuality in educational contexts.
  • Prosecution burden: Creating a new crime requires prosecutors to prove intent and grooming conduct, which may be more challenging than prosecuting completed abuse offenses and could result in inconsistent charging practices across jurisdictions.
  • Existing law overlap: Wisconsin may already have statutes addressing sexual exploitation of minors or child endangerment that could accomplish similar goals without a new statute.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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