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Read. Follow. Verify.Kansas SB 493 adds electronic communication and social media grooming elements to child sexual exploitation crimes
Last action · April 10, 2026: Died in Committee
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What This Bill Proposed
Kansas SB 493 amends state criminal statutes to explicitly include engaging in a pattern of conduct or communication through electronic means or social media to gain access to or coerce a minor into unlawful sexual activity as a form of child sexual exploitation. The bill classifies this specific offense as a severity level 5 person felony.
The measure establishes new criminal penalties and classification levels for online grooming behaviors directed at minors under 18 years of age, directly altering prosecution standards for digital offenses in the state.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Minors under 18 years of age
Their protection under criminal law is expanded to explicitly cover online grooming and electronic communications intended to facilitate sexual exploitation.
Individuals prosecuted for sex offenses
Offenders engaging in electronic grooming or using social media to target minors face specific felony classifications and criminal penalties.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What new criminal offense does SB 493 create regarding children?
How is the new electronic grooming offense classified under Kansas law?
Are there any exceptions for possessing visual depictions of a child in a state of nudity?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died in committee.
Procedural history
3 actions- Apr 10, 2026SenateDied in Committee
- Feb 6, 2026SenateCommitteeReferred to Senate Committee on Judiciary
- Feb 5, 2026SenateIntroducedIntroduced
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sources
www.kslegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz20Current news / social attention level
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