Arizona’s Republican-led House gave final approval to a bill making it a felony crime to possess, import, or traffic in sex dolls that resemble infants or children.
House Bill 2169 received solid bipartisan support before passing 58-0 in the third and final reading on May 15.
The bill will be sent to Democrat Gov. Katie Hobbs for her signature or veto.
The law would take effect immediately with the governor’s approval.
Arizona Rep. Quang Nguyen, a Republican, was the lead sponsor of the bill to establish new Class 4 felony criminal offenses for possession, trafficking, or importation of child sex dolls.
The legislation defines child sex dolls as objects anatomically resembling infants or children under 12 for sexual stimulation or gratification.
“Of all the horrible things, I never expected to learn that there are sex dolls made to resemble the likeness of children,” Nguyen said in a press release following the bill’s final passage.
“These dolls are a gateway to victimizing children, serving no value or purpose other than feeding some individuals’ dangerous desire to molest young children.
“We live in a civilized nation, and there’s no room for such an extreme perversion to exist—children must be protected.”
As chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Nguyen is a staunch advocate of legislation to reduce crimes against children and the exploitation of minors.
The bill changes two felony crimes against children by including conduct involving child sex dolls that “use the face, image, or likeness of a real infant or minor under the age of 12.”
‘Disturbing Issue’
Nguyen said Pinal County officials first made him aware of the “disturbing issue” of child sex dolls through increasing encounters between law enforcement and individuals found in possession of these sexual objects.He said there was previously no legal authority to charge suspects who possess or deal in them.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations issued an alert in February to raise public awareness of the issue, Nguyen said.
In 2019, the Kentucky Senate approved legislation making child sex doll possession a felony offense.
If Arizona’s governor signs the new legislation, Arizona will join five other states that ban child sex dolls, including Florida, Hawaii, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Utah.
Florida Rep. Vern Buchanan, a Republican, and Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat, recently filed legislation that takes aims at electronic sex dolls called CREEPER (Curbing Realistic Exploitative Electronic Pedophilic Robots) Act 2.0.
