A bill making sexual extortion a felony, and a bill allowing judges to keep their personal information private.

Both saw action in today's House judiciary Committee.

Our Mackenzie Spink has more on both.

Kentucky youth advocates praised today's passage of Senate Bill 73 out of the House Judiciary Committee.

This bill addresses sexual extortion, which is a form of exploitation where a person uses sexually explicit images of an individual to threaten them into meeting their demands.

Bill sponsor Senator Julie Rocky Adams says sexual extortion affects children now more than ever because of new technology platforms.

The data backs this up.

Over a six month period in 2023, the FBI saw a 20% reporting increase from the year prior.

A financially motivated sexual extortion of minors.

Sexual extortion is one of the most dangerous and rapidly growing crimes targeting our young people today.

The FBI reports that sextortion is the fastest growing crime against children.

It is calculated.

It is cruel and it thrives on fear and silence.

Senate Bill 73 would upgrade sexual extortion charges to a felony.

Provide legal remedies to victims and prioritize prevention education among students.

Unanimously passed the House Judiciary Committee today and will next head to the House floor for consideration.

House Bill 662 also passed out of this committee today.

This bill would allow state and federal judges to request that government agencies like the DMV, not release their personal information, like addresses and phone numbers.

Additionally, under this bill, when a coverage denial letter is sent out by a health insurance company, the ID number of that person who made the decision would no longer be listed.

Supporters believe shielding that identity from the public has become increasingly important.

Given last year's shooting of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson to allow the removal of their of their, the there which I under if I understand right is their DEA number.

We seen what happened up in was that New York back in the summer with the insurance guy in terms of the signature on these denial letters, I think it's important to protect the, identity publicly.

For the reasons that you stated with the United CEO being murdered.

And, you know, that public kind of doxing.

The main concern brought up during discussion was ensuring that professionals on the health care side would still have access to that ID number, which is an essential part of the appeals process.

Sponsor Representative John Blanton says he's already on it.

I am working, and I'm committed to working with getting the proper language that addresses that and fixes that, or that we provide the protection, but the hospitals or doctors have access to that information.

But we're getting late in the game.

So this is one step in the process.

So all I'm asking is let's move it forward today.

And, they have my commitment to work on a floor amendment to have this ready to fix a solution, so that we're protecting people's lives, but also making sure that the doctors and hospitals have access to the information they have.

House Bill 662 was moved forward out of committee and will head to the House floor for consideration by the full membership.

For Kentucky edition, I'm McKenzie Spink.

Thank you.

McKenzie.

Senate Bill 73, the sexual extortion or sextortion bill, as it's called, was passed unanimously by the full Senate in February.

If it passes the full House, it will then head to the governor's desk.