--- title: HB 421. Interstate Sexual Predator Prevention Act; enact collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hb421 cite_as: HB 421, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb421 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb421.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb421/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70265 date: 2026-03-31 status: engrossed corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb420.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb422.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 972 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb421.md?full=1 bill_number: HB 421 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: bill status_date: 2026-03-06 last_action: Senate Tabled sponsors: - Darlene Taylor - Carmen Rice - Matt Reeves - Mandi Ballinger - Karen Mathiak - Brian Strickland text_version: Comm Sub has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB421/2025 upstream_id: 1968134 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - child protection - criminal law - sex offenses - interstate travel --- # HB 421. Interstate Sexual Predator Prevention Act; enact ## Text House Bill 421 (COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE) By: Representatives Taylor of the 173rd, Rice of the 139th, Reeves of the 99th, Ballinger of the 23rd, and Mathiak of the 82nd A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT To amend Code Section 16-6-5 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to enticing a child for indecent purposes, so as to include traveling from another state for the purpose of child molestation or indecent acts; to provide for a penalty; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA: SECTION 1. Code Section 16-6-5 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to enticing a child for indecent purposes, is amended by revising subsection (a) as follows: "(a) A person commits the offense of enticing a child for indecent purposes when he or she solicits, entices, or takes any child under the age of 16 years to any place whatsoever or travels from another state for the purpose of child molestation or indecent acts." SECTION 2. All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed. ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary. House Bill 421 would expand Georgia's child enticement law to cover people who travel from another state to Georgia intending to molest or commit indecent acts against a child under 16. ### Plain-language summary Under current Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 16-6-5), a person commits the crime of enticing a child for indecent purposes by soliciting, enticing, or taking a child under 16 to any place for the purpose of child molestation or indecent acts. This bill adds a new way the crime can be committed: traveling from another state for the purpose of child molestation or indecent acts against a child under 16. The bill accomplishes this by inserting the phrase 'or travels from another state' into the existing statute, so the offense now covers both bringing a child somewhere and someone crossing state lines themselves with that intent. The bill repeals any conflicting laws but does not list a separate penalty section, meaning the existing penalties for enticing a child for indecent purposes would apply to this new form of the offense. ### What it does - Adds 'travels from another state' as a new way to commit the crime of enticing a child for indecent purposes under O.C.G.A. § 16-6-5. - Applies the offense to a person who crosses into Georgia from another state intending to molest or commit indecent acts against a child under 16. - Keeps the existing age threshold of under 16 years old for the child involved. - Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with this change. ### Who it affects The change affects people who travel to Georgia from another state intending to molest a child or commit indecent acts, law enforcement and prosecutors who charge this offense, and Georgia courts that apply the enticement statute in these cases. ### Why it matters The change would let Georgia prosecutors charge someone under the child enticement statute simply for traveling into the state with the intent to molest a child, even if the person never physically transported the child anywhere, closing a gap for out-of-state offenders. ### Key provisions - Section 1 revises subsection (a) of O.C.G.A. § 16-6-5 to add 'or travels from another state' to the existing language covering taking a child to any place for indecent purposes. - Section 1 keeps the existing threshold that the child must be under 16 years old. - Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws but does not itself set a new penalty, leaving the offense's existing penalty structure in place. ## Status - Status: Engrossed (2026-03-06) - Last action: Senate Tabled (2026-03-31) - Sponsors: Darlene Taylor, Carmen Rice, Matt Reeves, Mandi Ballinger, Karen Mathiak, Brian Strickland - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/70265 > The history, votes, and amendments (972 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb421.md?full=1