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Legislation Introduced by the Committee on Children

2025 - 2026 Legislative Session

Tax Free Baby Food

S. 14 and H. 3618

  • Eliminates the sales tax for baby formula and baby food, food purees, puffs, teether crackers, puree pouches, and other food intended for sale for children under thirty-six months of age.

  • H. 3618 eliminates the sales tax for diapers for babies and children.

Status Offenders

S. 16 and H. 3655

  • Removes exceptions for children to be tried as adults for status offenses.

  • Decreases the length of time that a child may be held in a juvenile detention facility for status offenses or violating court orders.

  • Requires the child and his family seek counseling when the status offense is of incorrigibility.

  • Requires automatic expungement of noncriminal offenses when the child turns eighteen years of age.

Intimate Partner Violence

S. 180 and H. 3603

Revises the definition of household member in the Domestic Violence Code to:

  • include former and current dating relationship.

  • allow a parent, guardian, custodian, legal counsel, or other appropriate adult may petition the court for an order of protection on behalf of a household minor.

Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Minor

S. 17 and H. 3651

  • Requires electronic monitoring for the offense of criminal sexual conduct with a minor in the second degree.

Juvenile Sex Offender Registry

S. 23

  • Ensures that no child under 14 is placed on the sex offender registry.

  • Allows information of an adjudicated delinquent juvenile to be made available to the public if they were deemed to commit criminal sexual conduct in the first or second degree.

AI Child Abuse

S. 28 and H. 3620

  • Creates the offense of obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse.

  • Requires offenders of obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse be added to the sex offender registry.

Morphed Pornography of Identifiable Children (MPIC)

S. 29 and H. 3641

The state’s current sexual exploitation of a minor statutes only cover instances where a minor is actually involved in the creation of child pornography. Morphed pornography is when a child’s facial image is morphed onto a pornographic image making it appear as if the child is actually engaged in sexual activity.

  • Adds MPIC to the current sexual exploitation of a minor statutes as well as adding definitions for identifiable child and morphed image.

  • Additionally, they require those convicted with criminal sexual exploitation of a minor be added to the sex offender registry as a Tier II offender.

Juvenile Life Without Parole

S. 21

  • Bans the sentence of life without parole for any individual who is under the age of eighteen at the time of committing an offense.

  • Provides maximum sentences for individuals who committed an offense as a minor.

  • Prohibits the use of restraints, isolation, and room confinement for juvenile offenders.

Mandatory Suicide Training

S. 30 and H. 3630

  • Requires youth suicide prevention training for teachers and employees in K-12 schools and higher education institutions.

Student ID Cards - Suicide Hotline

S. 31 and H. 3631

  • Requires the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline contact information on Student ID cards in schools.

  • Requires alternative methods of delivery of information for schools that do not issue identification cards.

Department of Children's Advocacy

S. 179 and H. 3654

  • Authorizes disclosure of case records to county and state Guardian ad Litem staff and the state child advocate's divisions.

Paid Parental Leave

H. 3645 and H. 3490

  • ​Increases the number of weeks allowed for paid parental leave in the event of a birth or adoption of a child for eligible state employees.

Children's Access to Firearms

S. 18 and H. 3587

  • Creates misdemeanors in the event: (1) a child accesses a readily dischargeable firearm and the person, with criminal negligence, failed to secure the firearm or left the firearm in a manner that the person knew or should have known a child would be able to gain access to the firearm; and (2) the same scenario as (1) but the child discharges the firearm and cause death or seriously bodily injury to himself or another person. The bill includes an affirmative defense for instances such as protection of self, others, or property, unlawful entry, and hunting or sporting. It also has notice provisions for firearms dealers.

Private Providers in Schools

H. 3974

  • Authorizes private providers to evaluate public school students for health, behavioral health, or therapeutic needs.

  • Allows private providers to provide related services at schools during the school day upon the request of the parent or guardian of the student.

  • Schools may not use blanket prohibitions on such evaluations or services on their campuses.

  • Requires SCDE to develop a model policy to set parameters for evaluators and private providers offering medically necessary services during the instructional day.

Preschool Suspensions

H. 4068

  • Students enrolled in 3K or 4K programs in a publicly funded preschool may not receive an out-of-school suspension unless a serious safety threat exists and there is no other reasonable option appropriate. 

  • Preschool students also may not receive an in-school suspension unless services and interventions are unsuccessful. Additionally, students removed from the classroom for short periods of time to collect themselves must be returned to the classroom as quickly as possible.

  • This bill also requires the continued professional development of educators and administration for working with challenging behavior in children.

Legislation Endorsed by the Committee on Children

2025 -2026 Legislative Session

Paid Parental Leave endorsed

S. 10, S. 11, and H. 3645

  • These bills will increase the number of weeks of paid parental leave for eligible state employees.

Administrative Subpoena endorsed

S. 74

  • Allows a law enforcement officer, a circuit solicitor, or the attorney general to require the disclosure of electronic communications and other related records that are relevant to an ongoing criminal investigation.

AI and MPIC

H. 3045 and H. 3046

  • These bills will create the offense of obscene visual representations of child sexual abuse, as well as add offenders to the sex offender registry.

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