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House votes to expand enticement statute to include 16- and 17-year-olds
Summary
Lawmakers approved House Bill 541 to redefine 'children' for an enticement statute to include 16- and 17-year-olds and close a gap cited by the ICAC and National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Supporters said the change will help prosecute online enticement; the bill passed the House.
The Idaho House on Feb. 11 approved House Bill 541, which redefines the term "children" in a section of state law addressing the enticement of minors over the internet to include 16- and 17-year-olds.
The bill's sponsor (presenter, S10) said the change responds to presentations from the ICAC team and national data showing many victims fall into the 14–17 age range. "So what this bill does, it includes 16 and 17 year olds," the presenter said, adding that the perpetrator must be at least five years older than the victim to avoid so-called Romeo-and-Juliet scenarios.
Members pressed the sponsor on whether the measure covered related harms such as sextortion; a colleague (S11) asked whether threats to disseminate private images were within the bill's scope. The sponsor replied that extortion is covered under a separate statute (18-1507) and said enticement often precedes that conduct, so widening the enticement statute should help prosecutors "catch more perpetrators that are on that path." Supporters urged passage, saying the bill addresses a gap that leaves older teenagers exposed.
After brief discussion, debate was closed and the clerk recorded 69 ayes and one absent; the clerk announced that House Bill 541 had passed. The measure will be transmitted to the Senate for further consideration.
