House pitches tougher penalties for child-like sex dolls
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (NEWS SERVICE FLORIDA) - Nearly a week after the Senate passed a bill criminalizing the possession and sale of child-like sex dolls, the House on Tuesday readied its version of the bill for a full floor vote with tougher penalties.
Under the House proposal (HB 1107), filed by Rep. Mike Gottlieb, D-Davie, a person who knowingly sells or intends to sell a child-like sex doll could be charged with a third-degree felony, compared to the first degree misdemeanor in the Senate bill (SB 160) passed last week.
Robotic sex dolls in recent years have boomed in the sex industry, according to a legislative staff analysis. That includes a niche market for child-like sex dolls, which are advertised by some companies as an alternative to acting on pedophilic impulses, the analysis said.
The House and Senate bills initially proposed the same level of penalties for people who sell and possess the child-like dolls. But on Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee approved tougher penalties.
After being approved by the committee without questions or debate, the bill is ready to go to the House floor.
The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.