Bill > H5354

This Resolution establishes a twelve-member Special Legislative Commission tasked with conducting a comprehensive study on the health and safety impacts of potentially revising laws concerning commercial sexual activity. The commission, composed of legislators, representatives from organizations serving disproportionately affected populations, the Director of Health, an attorney from the Public Defender's Office, the Attorney General, individuals with lived experience in commercial sex, and the President of the Police Chief's Association, is mandated to report its findings and recommendations to the House of Representatives by February 7, 2020, and will cease to exist on May 7, 2020. The resolution acknowledges existing research suggesting that criminalization of prostitution disproportionately affects certain groups and that repressive police practices may correlate with increased violence and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), while also referencing studies from New Zealand and Rhode Island that indicated potential benefits to health and safety when certain aspects of commercial sex were decriminalized.