summary
Introduced
01/13/2015
01/13/2015
In Committee
02/11/2015
02/11/2015
Crossed Over
02/13/2015
02/13/2015
Passed
03/06/2015
03/06/2015
Dead
Signed/Enacted/Adopted
03/27/2015
03/27/2015
Introduced Session
2015 Regular Session
Bill Summary
Commercial sex trafficking; penalties. Creates new felonies for trafficking of persons for commercial sexual activity. The bill provides that any person who solicits, invites, recruits, encourages, or otherwise causes or attempts to cause a person to engage in prostitution with the intent to receive money or other valuable thing or to assist another in receiving money or other valuable thing from the earnings of the solicited person from an act of prostitution is guilty of a Class 5 felony. Felonies are increased if such behavior is done by an adult and the person solicited is a minor (Class 3 felony) and if force, intimidation, or deception is used against the person solicited (Class 4 felony). The new crime was added to the definition of violent felony for the purposes of the sentencing guidelines, predicate criminal acts for street gangs, the Virginia Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organization Act, multijurisdiction grand jury, and asset forfeiture and, if a minor is solicited, the Sex Offender Registry. The bill also amends two existing Code sections on receiving money for procuring a person for prostitution and receiving money from the earnings of a person engaged in prostitution to increase penalties if the crime involves a minor.
AI Summary
This bill establishes new felony offenses related to commercial sex trafficking, creating a new crime defined as soliciting, inviting, recruiting, encouraging, or otherwise causing or attempting to cause a person to engage in prostitution with the intent to profit from their earnings. This offense is classified as a Class 5 felony, with increased penalties if committed by an adult against a minor (Class 3 felony) or if force, intimidation, or deception is used (Class 4 felony). The bill also amends existing laws to increase penalties for procuring individuals for prostitution or profiting from their earnings, particularly when minors are involved. Furthermore, this new commercial sex trafficking offense is added to the definitions of violent felonies, impacting sentencing guidelines, criminal street gang predicate acts, the Virginia Racketeer Influence and Corrupt Organization Act (RICO), multijurisdiction grand jury investigations, and asset forfeiture provisions; if a minor is involved, it also triggers inclusion in the Sex Offender Registry.
Committee Categories
Budget and Finance, Justice
Sponsors (3)
Last Action
Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0691) (on 03/27/2015)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
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