AR HB1973

Creates new offense of sexually grooming a child under Arkansas Code § 5-27-307, defined as knowingly disseminating sexually explicit material to a child 13 years old or younger with intent to entice, induce, or groom them for sexual intercourse, sexually explicit conduct, or deviate sexual activity.

Establishes penalties of Class D felony if the offender is 21 years of age or older, or Class A misdemeanor if the offender is younger than 21 years of age.

Provides an affirmative defense if the actor was not more than 3 years older than the victim, and establishes that the actor's lack of knowledge about the child's age or belief the child is 14 or older is not a valid defense.

Adds sexually grooming a child to the definition of "sex offense" under Arkansas Code § 12-12-903, requiring registration with the sex offender registry upon conviction.

Amends the definition of "visual or print medium" to include magnetic images and electronic images in addition to films, photographs, slides, books, and magazines.