Senate Bill 2566, known as the "Tennessee Anti-Grooming Act," seeks to enhance protections for minors against sexual exploitation by criminalizing grooming behaviors. The bill introduces a new section to the Tennessee Code Annotated that defines grooming as a series of actions or communications by an adult aimed at establishing trust or emotional connections with a minor or mentally compromised individual to facilitate sexual contact or exploitation. It establishes specific definitions for terms such as "course of grooming conduct" and "predicate acts," and outlines felony classifications based on the victim's age and the offender's prior convictions, with increased penalties for offenses involving minors under thirteen or those who are mentally compromised.

Furthermore, the bill clarifies that grooming conduct may involve isolating a minor, fostering secrecy, and introducing inappropriate sexual content, while emphasizing that a close relationship between an adult and a minor does not inherently indicate grooming. It also specifies that certain defenses, such as claiming no sexual contact occurred or that the minor consented, are not valid in grooming cases. The act amends the Tennessee Code Annotated to include grooming as a new subdivision under the definition of offenses, and it is set to take effect on July 1, 2026, applying to acts committed on or after that date. This legislation aims to strengthen the legal framework for protecting minors from grooming behaviors while allowing for concurrent prosecution under existing child protection laws.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 39-13-524(a), 39-13-524
Amended with HA0986 -- 04/22/2026: 39-13-524(a), 39-13-524, 40-39-202(31), 40-39-202