Bill Overview

An Act to Strengthen Justice
and Support for Sex Trade Survivors
H.1761 / S.940

Decriminalizes People in Prostitution

• Repeals the crime of selling sex, including sex for a fee, common night walking and common street walking.

Advances Criminal Justice Reform

• Expunges all previous prostitution charges from the records of trafficking and sex trade survivors.
• Penalizing the current crime of buying sex with a fine and utilizing an income-based scale as an incentive to target frequent buyers with higher disposable incomes opposed to street level buyers.
• Allocates these fines to comprehensive exit programming by way of MOVA through the state treasurer’s office.

Expands access to viable opportunities through Establishing an Interagency Committee 

• The creation of an interagency committee within the Ex Office of Health and Human Services consisting of representatives from a cross section of governmentalcommunity, and survivor led exit programming for the purposes of closing on ramps into the sex trade and opening up off ramps such as access to health, mental health, housing and viable economic options.
• The committee will be tasked with coordinating prevention and awareness campaigns and efforts to reduce demand.

To learn about our legislative endorsements, please visit our Endorsers page here.