Anti-Human Sex Trafficking Act

Whereas the current laws regarding prostitution are ill advised and dangerous, and

Whereas the state has a legitimate interest in decreasing human trafficking rates, and

Whereas significant evidence suggests that the legalization of prostitution increases human trafficking rates, and

Whereas known methods exist to decrease human trafficking via laws regarding prostitution,

Be it enacted by the Assembly of the Commonwealth of the Chesapeake:

Section I: Short Title

1. This bill shall be known as the “Anti-Human Sex Trafficking Act”.

Section II: Repeals

1. Public Law B. 152 shall be repealed in its entirety.

Section III: Changes to the Criminal Code

1. §18.2-346 of the Criminal Code is amended to read as follows:

1.  Any person who, for money or its equivalent, (i) commits adultery, fornication, or any act in violation of § 18.2-361, performs cunnilingus, fellatio, or anilingus upon or by another person, or engages in anal intercourse or (ii) offers to commit adultery, fornication, or any act in violation of § 18.2-361, perform cunnilingus, fellatio, or anilingus upon or by another person, or engage in anal intercourse and thereafter does any substantial act in furtherance thereof is guilty of prostitution, which is punishable as a Class 2 misdemeanor. 
2.  Any person who offers money or its equivalent to another for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts as enumerated in subsection A and thereafter does any substantial act in furtherance thereof is guilty of solicitation of prostitution, which is punishable as a Class 6 felony. However, any person who solicits prostitution from a minor (i) 16 years of age or older is guilty of a Class 5 felony or (ii) younger than 16 years of age is guilty of a Class 4 felony.

Section IV: Enactment

1. This bill shall take effect 90 days after being put into law.

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