Senate Bill 1954, also known as House Bill 2377, amends Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 39, Chapter 13, Part 5, which pertains to sexual offenses against minors. The bill introduces new legal language that specifies the criteria for charging an individual with continuous sexual abuse of a child. Specifically, it establishes that a person can be charged if they engage in three or more incidents of sexual abuse of one or more minor children on separate occasions, with at least one incident occurring in the county where the charge is filed and on or after July 1, 2026.

Additionally, the bill clarifies that continuous sexual abuse of a child occurs when multiple acts of sexual abuse are committed over a period of thirty days or more. It also mandates that juries must reach a unanimous agreement on the occurrence of these multiple acts within the specified timeframe. The changes will take effect on July 1, 2026, and will apply to acts committed on or after that date.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 39-13-518(a)(1)(A), 39-13-518, 39-13-518(b), 39-13-518(e)