Survivor urges lawmakers to treat grooming as a prosecutable step; committee rolls grooming bill to file to coordinate with TBI

Senators heard emotional testimony Wednesday on SB 25‑66, a bill intended to criminalize and define the act of grooming as a prosecutable precursor to sexual exploitation and trafficking.

Sponsor Sen. Janice Bowling described the amendment as a prevention tool that allows prosecution at the grooming stage rather than waiting until a child has been raped or trafficked. “We must intervene before physical abuse occurs,” Bowling said, adding that the bill targets intentional exploitation rather than normal teen relationships.

Hope Burrell Green, identified herself as a survivor of child trafficking, told the committee that grooming “is the doorway that predators use to gain control” and described years of manipulation and secrecy. “By the time law enforcement can act under many current statute, the child has already been abused or trafficked,” Green said.

Senators discussed coordinating Bowling’s bill with a similar measure from another senator and invited the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to review the language. Sponsor Bowling asked for a short roll so the TBI and other authors could compare bills; the committee agreed to roll SB 25‑66 to the filing/final calendar so the measures can be reconciled and any TBI suggestions incorporated.

Next steps: The bill will be placed on the filing/final calendar to allow the sponsor and Senator White (and the TBI) to harmonize language and address TBI comments before further committee action.