HB 22-1288

HB 22-1288, also known as the Safe Reporting Assaults Suffered By Sex Workers bill, provides legal protection for sex workers by granting them immunity from prostitution-related charges if they seek help from law enforcement or medical providers after being a victim of violence. This means that if someone reports an assault to the police while working in the sex industry, they won't be charged with crimes like prostitution as long as the evidence against them came from seeking assistance for the crime. However, this immunity does not protect them from other unrelated criminal charges. The bill has been signed into law and is now active, meaning it offers immediate protection to those who report violent incidents while working in the sex industry.

Official Summary

The act grants immunity from the charge of prostitution, soliciting for prostitution, or prostitute making display or an equivalent municipal offense (prostitution offense) to a person who seeks assistance from a law enforcement officer, the 911 system, or a medical provider for a victim or as a victim of a violent crime or offense (crime) if the evidence for the charge of a prostitution offense was obtained as a result of the person seeking assistance or as a result of the need for assistance. A person who receives immunity for a prostitution offense is not immune from prosecution for other offenses, and a district attorney or law enforcement officer may obtain or use evidence obtained from a report, recording, or other statement provided as a result of the initial prostitution offense to prosecute any other offense. For the purposes of the act, "person" is defined as the victim of a crime, a person who is a victim of human trafficking for sexual servitude, or a witness to a crime. The act sets forth the applicable violent crimes or offenses. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)

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