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Authorities searched for 11-year-old Audrii Cunningham after she was reported missing Feb. 15, 2024.
A Texas House bill that would place people convicted of child grooming on the state’s sex offender registry is heading for a full Senate vote as the legislative session winds down.
Members of the State Senate Criminal Justice Committee unanimously approved House Bill 2000, dubbed “Audrii’s Law,” on Tuesday. The legislation aims to prevent violent crimes by closing a legal loophole that allows certain sex offenders to fly under the radar.
The bill is named after Audrii Cunningham, the 11-year-old Livingston girl who in 2024 was killed by Don Steven McDougal, a family friend who had been living in a trailer behind Cunningham’s home about 75 miles north of Houston.
McDougal was previously charged with indecency with a child after accusations that he attempted to molest a young girl. McDougal pleaded guilty to enticing a child, which prevented him from having to register as a sex offender.
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According to Texas law, the offense of enticing a child pertains to unlawfully taking custody of a child younger than age 18 and is not specific to sex acts. Child grooming offenses involve sexual activity.
State lawmakers in 2023 passed legislation establishing a criminal offense for child grooming.
“While it’s a felony, it currently does not trigger sexual offender registration,” said Sen. Robert Nichols (R-Jacksonville), a bill sponsor. “This bill changes that, ensuring that the public has access to information that can help prevent future tragedies.”
The legislation would apply only to people who commit the offense of child grooming on or after the day the bill is signed into law. If passed by the Senate and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott, Audrii’s Law would take effect Sept. 1.
Andy Kahan, the director of victims services for Crime Stoppers of Houston, said the loophole could have potentially cost Cunningham her life.
“Sex offender registry is one of the only tools that parents and grandparents have to protect innocent little angels like Audrii from predators,” Kahan said.
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