SB 24 Utah Senate · 2025 General Session

Child Abuse and Torture Amendments

SB 24 creates a new criminal offense for "child torture" with specific penalties and adds it to existing statutes governing child abuse. The bill updates legal definitions to include child torture in mandatory imprisonment requirements, background checks for individuals working with children (like foster parents), and the Sex, Kidnap, and Child Abuse Offender Registry. It also modifies related statutes, such as those covering aggravated child abuse and violent felony classifications, to ensure consistency. This law directly affects individuals convicted of child torture and systems that screen or register offenders.

Issues: ✗ Criminal Justice

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2025

Committee Review

Feb 2025

Senate Passage

Mar 2025

House Passage

Mar 2025

Signed into Law

Mar 2025

Introduced Jan 21, 2025 Signed Mar 26, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Substitute #1 → Enrolled · 5 edits · Mar 26, 2025

MODERATE

This bill establishes a new criminal offense for child torture and integrates it into Utah's legal framework alongside existing child abuse laws. It expands background check requirements to explicitly include child torture convictions, thereby disqualifying individuals with such convictions from working with children. The bill also updates definitions of 'violent felonies' and 'child abuse offenders' to ensure child torture is treated with the same severity as other serious crimes in sentencing enhancements and sex offender registry requirements.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from addressing general child abuse to specifically including child torture as a distinct and registrable offense across multiple state statutes, including background checks, custody laws, and sentencing guidelines.

DEFINITION

Created a new criminal offense for child torture and added it to the list of offenses requiring mandatory imprisonment.

Updated the definition of 'violent felony' to include child torture, which increases sentencing penalties for repeat offenders.

ENFORCEMENT

Added child torture to the list of offenses that trigger mandatory background check disqualifications for anyone seeking direct access to children.

REQUIREMENT

Made child torture a registrable offense on the Sex, Kidnap, and Child Abuse Offender Registry.

Amended adoption, custody, and foster care statutes to explicitly disqualify applicants convicted of child torture.

Introduced → Substitute #1 · 9 edits

MAJOR

This bill creates a new, severe criminal offense called 'child torture' with mandatory long prison sentences, adding it to lists of offenses that trigger stricter background checks, mandatory registration, and denial of custody or adoption. It also clarifies definitions of child abuse and updates related statutes to ensure consistency across the legal code.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of criminal liability by defining a specific new crime (child torture) and broadens the applicability of background check disqualifiers and offender registry requirements to include this new offense.

DEFINITION

Created a new criminal offense of 'child torture' defined as inflicting serious injury in an exceptionally cruel manner or over a prolonged course of conduct.

Updated the definition of 'violent felony' to include child torture, which affects sentencing enhancements for repeat violent offenders.

Added child torture to the Sex, Kidnap, and Child Abuse Offender Registry, requiring convicted offenders to register their location.

Amended the definition of 'child abuse' in school attendance exemption laws to include child torture, preventing parents convicted of this crime from homeschooling their children.

ENFORCEMENT

Established mandatory minimum prison sentences (10 years to life) for child torture, with limited judicial discretion to reduce the minimum to 4 or 7 years only in specific interests of justice cases.

Added child torture to the list of crimes that prohibit granting probation, suspending sentences, or reducing the severity of the charge.

REQUIREMENT

Added child torture to the list of offenses that automatically disqualify individuals from having direct access to children in background checks for foster care, adoption, and human services.

Included child torture as a disqualifying offense for adoption and custody petitions, preventing individuals convicted of this crime from adopting or having custody of a child.

Updated various family law statutes regarding custody, visitation, and jail release agreements to explicitly include child torture as a factor that can restrict parental rights or require supervision.

Floor votes

How they voted

This bill passed the Senate by voice vote (no roll call recorded).

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 26, 2025

Signed into law

Governor Signed

executive

Mar 5, 2025

Legislature · Passed

Senate/ signed by President/ sent for enrolling

legislature

Mar 5, 2025

Upper · Passed

House/ signed by Speaker/ returned to Senate

upper

Mar 5, 2025

Lower · Passed

House/ passed 3rd reading

lower

Feb 13, 2025

Lower · Passed

House/ committee report favorable

lower

Feb 12, 2025

Lower · Passed

House Comm - Favorable Recommendation

lower

Feb 11, 2025

Committee

House/ to standing committee

lower

Feb 10, 2025

Introduced

House/ 1st reading (Introduced)

lower

Feb 10, 2025

Lower · Passed

Senate/ passed 3rd reading

lower

Jan 24, 2025

Upper · Passed

Senate/ committee report favorable

upper

Jan 23, 2025

Upper · Passed

Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation

upper

Jan 21, 2025

Committee

Senate/ to standing committee

upper

Jan 21, 2025

Introduced

Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced)

upper

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor