---
type: "Bill"
title: "AN ACT relating to the protection of children."
description: "Amend KRS 15A.190 to require the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet to include crimes involving childhood sexual assault or abuse in the JC-3 form; amend KRS 17.500 to include distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor in the definition of \"sex crime\"; amend KRS 413.249 to remove the statute of limitations for civil actions arising from childhood sexual assault or abuse; require every civil action arising from childhood sexual assault or abuse to be accompanied by a motion to seal the record; amend KRS 439.3401 to include possession or viewing of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor and distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor in the definition of \"violent offender\"; amend KRS 510.060 to enhance the penalty to a Class C felony if the person is in a position of authority or position of special trust and the victim is under 12 years old; amend KRS 510.090 to enhance the penalty to a Class C felony if the person is in a position of authority or position of special trust and the victim is under 12 years old; amend KRS 510.155 to enhance the penalty of unlawful use of electronic means to induce a minor to a Class C felony; enhance the penalty to a Class B felony if the minor or perceived minor is under 12 years old, the offender is a person is in a position of authority or position of special trust, the offender is a registered sex offender, or a person travels into the Commonwealth for the purpose of procuring or promoting the use of a minor; amend KRS 529.100 to enhance the penalty for human trafficking to a Class B felony, unless the victim is a minor, in which case it is a Class A felony; amend KRS 529.110 to enhance the penalty for promoting human trafficking to a Class C felony unless the victim is a minor, in which case it is a Class B felony; amend KRS 531.010 to include computer-generated image, picture, or motion picture in the definition of \"matter\"; make technical corrections; amend KRS 531.300 to define \"child sex doll\" and \"traffic\"; create new sections of KRS 531.310 to 531.370 to prohibit the possession, trafficking, importing, and advancing of a child sex doll; amend KRS 531.340 to enhance the penalty for distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor to a Class C felony if the victim is under 18 years old and a Class B felony if the victim is under 12 years old; amend KRS 532.060 to require a person who has been convicted of a violation of KRS 529.100, 529.110, 531.320, 531.335, or 531.340 to serve five years of postincarceration supervision; amend KRS 532.200 to redefine \"violent felony offense\" as an offense that would classify a person as a violent offender under KRS 439.3401; make technical corrections."
jurisdiction: "us/states/ky"
legislature: "Kentucky General Assembly"
session: "2024RS"
identifier: "HB 278"
citation: "Kentucky HB 278 (2024RS)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["Children and Minors", "Civil Actions", "Corrections Impact", "Crimes and Punishments", "Criminal Procedure", "Local Mandate", "Probation and Parole", "State Agencies"]
status: "enacted"
primary_sponsors: ["C. Fugate", "C. Massaroni", "D. Elliott", "D. Fister", "D. Hale", "E. Callaway", "J. Bauman", "J. Decker", "J. Hodgson", "K. King", "M. Hart", "M. Imes", "M. Lockett", "R. Duvall", "R. Palumbo", "R. White", "S. Baker", "S. Bratcher", "S. Doan", "S. Rawlings", "T. Truett", "W. Thomas"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 29
vote_count: 3
first_action: "2024-01-16T05:00:00+00:00"
last_action: "2024-04-05T04:00:00+00:00"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/483581e2-774d-4491-bdca-0bde49aca319"
source_url: "https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/24RS/hb278.html"
source_hash: "290c3ef6f15595d2964b44213d04d3bcc591eb96991a0b755fccbdf270abd773"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-ky"]
---

# Kentucky HB 278 (2024RS) — AN ACT relating to the protection of children.

Amend KRS 15A.190 to require the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet to include crimes involving childhood sexual assault or abuse in the JC-3 form; amend KRS 17.500 to include distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor in the definition of "sex crime"; amend KRS 413.249 to remove the statute of limitations for civil actions arising from childhood sexual assault or abuse; require every civil action arising from childhood sexual assault or abuse to be accompanied by a motion to seal the record; amend KRS 439.3401 to include possession or viewing of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor and distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor in the definition of "violent offender"; amend KRS 510.060 to enhance the penalty to a Class C felony if the person is in a position of authority or position of special trust and the victim is under 12 years old; amend KRS 510.090 to enhance the penalty to a Class C felony if the person is in a position of authority or position of special trust and the victim is under 12 years old; amend KRS 510.155 to enhance the penalty of unlawful use of electronic means to induce a minor to a Class C felony; enhance the penalty to a Class B felony if the minor or perceived minor is under 12 years old, the offender is a person is in a position of authority or position of special trust, the offender is a registered sex offender, or a person travels into the Commonwealth for the purpose of procuring or promoting the use of a minor; amend KRS 529.100 to enhance the penalty for human trafficking to a Class B felony, unless the victim is a minor, in which case it is a Class A felony; amend KRS 529.110 to enhance the penalty for promoting human trafficking to a Class C felony unless the victim is a minor, in which case it is a Class B felony; amend KRS 531.010 to include computer-generated image, picture, or motion picture in the definition of "matter"; make technical corrections; amend KRS 531.300 to define "child sex doll" and "traffic"; create new sections of KRS 531.310 to 531.370 to prohibit the possession, trafficking, importing, and advancing of a child sex doll; amend KRS 531.340 to enhance the penalty for distribution of matter portraying a sexual performance by a minor to a Class C felony if the victim is under 18 years old and a Class B felony if the victim is under 12 years old; amend KRS 532.060 to require a person who has been convicted of a violation of KRS 529.100, 529.110, 531.320, 531.335, or 531.340 to serve five years of postincarceration supervision; amend KRS 532.200 to redefine "violent felony offense" as an offense that would classify a person as a violent offender under KRS 439.3401; make technical corrections.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **Introduced** (filed) — [source](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/24RS/hb278/orig_bill.pdf)
2. **Acts Chapter 106** (committee substitute) — [source](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/acts/24RS/documents/0106.pdf)
3. **Current/Final** (committee substitute) — [source](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/recorddocuments/bill/24RS/hb278/bill.pdf)

## Votes

- PASS HB 278 W/ sfa1 sfa3 — **pass** (pass) · lower
- Final Passage — **pass** (pass) · lower
- Pass — **pass** (pass) · lower

## Sponsors

- C. Fugate — primary (person)
- C. Massaroni — primary (person)
- D. Elliott — primary (person)
- D. Fister — primary (person)
- D. Hale — primary (person)
- E. Callaway — primary (person)
- J. Bauman — primary (person)
- J. Decker — primary (person)
- J. Hodgson — primary (person)
- K. King — primary (person)
- M. Hart — primary (person)
- M. Imes — primary (person)
- M. Lockett — primary (person)
- R. Duvall — primary (person)
- R. Palumbo — primary (person)
- R. White — primary (person)
- S. Baker — primary (person)
- S. Bratcher — primary (person)
- S. Doan — primary (person)
- S. Rawlings — primary (person)
- T. Truett — primary (person)
- W. Thomas — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2024-01-16T05:00:00+00:00** introduced in House `introduction`
- **2024-01-16T05:00:00+00:00** to Committee on Committees (H) `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-06T05:00:00+00:00** to Judiciary (H) `referral-committee`
- **2024-02-14T05:00:00+00:00** reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar with Committee Substitute (1) `committee-passage`
- **2024-02-15T05:00:00+00:00** 2nd reading, to Rules `reading-2`
- **2024-02-21T05:00:00+00:00** posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Thursday, February 22, 2024
- **2024-02-26T05:00:00+00:00** 3rd reading, passed 92-0 with Committee Substitute (1) `passage, reading-3`
- **2024-02-27T05:00:00+00:00** received in Senate
- **2024-02-27T05:00:00+00:00** to Committee on Committees (S) `referral-committee`
- **2024-03-08T05:00:00+00:00** to Judiciary (S) `referral-committee`
- **2024-03-21T04:00:00+00:00** reported favorably, 1st reading, to Calendar `committee-passage`
- **2024-03-21T04:00:00+00:00** floor amendment (1) filed `amendment-introduction`
- **2024-03-22T04:00:00+00:00** 2nd reading, to Rules `reading-2`
- **2024-03-22T04:00:00+00:00** floor amendment (2) filed `amendment-introduction`
- **2024-03-25T04:00:00+00:00** posted for passage in the Regular Orders of the Day for Tuesday, March 26, 2024
- **2024-03-26T04:00:00+00:00** floor amendment (3) filed `amendment-introduction`
- **2024-03-26T04:00:00+00:00** passed over and retained in the Orders of the Day `passage`
- **2024-03-27T04:00:00+00:00** 3rd reading `reading-3`
- **2024-03-27T04:00:00+00:00** Floor Amendment (2) withdrawn
- **2024-03-27T04:00:00+00:00** passed 36-0 with Floor Amendments (1) and (3) `passage`
- **2024-03-28T04:00:00+00:00** received in House
- **2024-03-28T04:00:00+00:00** to Rules (H) `referral-committee`
- **2024-03-28T04:00:00+00:00** posted for passage for concurrence in Senate Floor Amendments (1) and (3)
- **2024-03-28T04:00:00+00:00** House concurred in Senate Floor Amendments (1) and (3)
- **2024-03-28T04:00:00+00:00** passed 96-0 with Floor Amendments (1) and (3) `passage`
- **2024-03-28T04:00:00+00:00** enrolled, signed by Speaker of the House `passage`
- **2024-03-28T04:00:00+00:00** enrolled, signed by President of the Senate `passage`
- **2024-03-28T04:00:00+00:00** delivered to Governor
- **2024-04-05T04:00:00+00:00** signed by Governor (Acts Ch. 106) `executive-signature`

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/483581e2-774d-4491-bdca-0bde49aca319`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Kentucky legislature records).