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Read. Follow. Verify.House Bill 2273 Mandates Annual Trafficking Training and Updates Sex Offense Penalties
Last action · April 7, 2026: Delivered to Secretary of State (G)Sponsors: Ed Lewis and 14 others
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What This Bill Does
County prosecutors, peace officers, juvenile officers, and emergency medical technicians are required to complete annual sex and human trafficking training starting in 2027. The measure also establishes a new twenty-year statute of limitations for civil damages in child sex trafficking cases and mandates court-ordered restitution for victims regardless of probation or imprisonment sentences.
The measure introduces mandatory professional training requirements, alters criminal penalties, and modifies registry reporting timelines for sex offenses impacting legal professionals, emergency personnel, and child care providers beginning January 1, 2027.
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
County prosecuting attorneys
County prosecutors must complete annual sex and human trafficking training and meet data collection and discovery compliance standards to receive portions of their statutory salary.
Peace officers
Peace officers are required to receive continuing education hours concerning sex and human trafficking training within their annual reporting periods.
Emergency medical technicians
EMTs and paramedics must complete phased hourly requirements of sex and human trafficking training as part of their relicensure conditions between 2027 and 2031.
Child care providers and staff members
Child care staff members are subject to revised criminal background check requirements and disqualification criteria for employment or presence in child care facilities.
Key Facts
- Establishes the Committee on Sex and Human Trafficking Training, effective January 1, 2027, to evaluate and establish training guidelines and produce digital training materials.
- Recreates the Statewide Council Against Adult Trafficking and the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children within the office of the attorney general and establishes the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Education and Awareness Fund.
- Replaces references to 'child pornography' with 'child sexual abuse material' across numerous Missouri statutes.
- Revises background check and disqualification criteria for child care staff members and licensing applicants with criminal convictions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What new training is required for county prosecutors and peace officers?
How does the bill change terminology in state law?
Are victims of child sex trafficking eligible for civil damages and restitution?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
54 actions- Apr 7, 2026HouseDelivered to Secretary of State (G)
- Apr 7, 2026Governor of MissouriEnrolledApproved by Governor (G)
- Mar 24, 2026Governor of MissouriDelivered to Governor
- Mar 24, 2026SenateSigned by President Pro Tem (S)
- Mar 24, 2026HouseSigned by House Speaker (H)
- Mar 24, 2026HouseConstitutional Objection Filed (H)
Show 48 earlier actions
- Mar 19, 2026HouseHouse Message (H)
- Mar 12, 2026HouseTruly Agreed To and Finally Passed
- Mar 12, 2026HouseHouse Adopts (H)
- Mar 12, 2026HouseTaken Up
- Mar 12, 2026HouseCommitteeReported Do Pass (H)
- Mar 12, 2026HouseCommitteeVoted Do Pass (H)
- Mar 12, 2026HouseExecutive Session Completed (H)
- Mar 12, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred: Fiscal Review(H)
- Mar 12, 2026HouseReported to the House with... (H)
- Mar 11, 2026SenateFloorThird Read and Passed with Amendments (S)
- Mar 11, 2026SenateSS Adopted (S)
- Mar 11, 2026HouseSS Offered
- Mar 11, 2026SenateTaken Up for Third Reading (S)
- Mar 11, 2026SenateCommitteeReported Do Pass (S)
- Mar 11, 2026SenateCommitteeVoted Do Pass (S)
- Mar 11, 2026SenateExecutive Session Held (S)
- Mar 10, 2026HouseExecutive Session Scheduled
- Mar 9, 2026SenateCommitteeReferred: Fiscal Oversight(S)
- Mar 9, 2026SenateCommitteeSCS Reported Do Pass (S)
- Mar 9, 2026SenateCommitteeSCS Voted Do Pass (S)
- Mar 9, 2026SenateExecutive Session Held (S)
- Mar 4, 2026SenatePublic Hearing Held (S)
- Mar 3, 2026SenatePublic Hearing Scheduled (S)
- Feb 26, 2026SenateCommitteeSecond read and referred: Families, Seniors and Health(S)
- Feb 9, 2026SenateReported to the Senate and First Read (S)
- Feb 9, 2026HouseFloorThird Read and Passed (H)
- Feb 9, 2026HouseTaken Up for Third Reading (H)
- Feb 9, 2026HouseCommitteeReported Do Pass (H)
- Feb 9, 2026HouseCommitteeVoted Do Pass (H)
- Feb 9, 2026HouseExecutive Session Completed (H)
- Feb 5, 2026HousePlaced on the Informal Third Reading Calendar (H)
- Feb 4, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred: Fiscal Review(H)
- Feb 4, 2026HousePerfected (H)
- Feb 4, 2026HouseHCS Adopted (H)
- Feb 4, 2026HouseTitle of Bill - Agreed To
- Feb 4, 2026HouseTaken Up for Perfection (H)
- Feb 2, 2026HouseCommitteeReported Do Pass (H)
- Feb 2, 2026HouseCommitteeVoted Do Pass (H)
- Feb 2, 2026HouseExecutive Session Completed (H)
- Jan 29, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred: Rules - Legislative(H)
- Jan 27, 2026HouseCommitteeHCS Reported Do Pass (H)
- Jan 27, 2026HouseCommitteeHCS Voted Do Pass (H)
- Jan 27, 2026HouseExecutive Session Completed (H)
- Jan 13, 2026HousePublic Hearing Completed (H)
- Jan 8, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred: Children and Families(H)
- Jan 8, 2026HouseFloorRead Second Time (H)
- Jan 7, 2026HouseIntroducedRead First Time (H)
- Dec 8, 2025HouseIntroducedPrefiled (H)
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.
Sponsors
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Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Standardization of Anti-Trafficking Training
HB 2273 systematically introduces mandatory annual sex and human trafficking training across multiple disparate professional groups including prosecutors, peace officers, juvenile officers, and emergency medical technicians under centralized guidelines.
Terminology Update to Child Sexual Abuse Material
The legislation comprehensively updates decades-old statutes by replacing references to 'child pornography' with 'child sexual abuse material' and updating related digital and material definitions.
Connected Entities
Sources
house.mo.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy25Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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