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HB158 • 2026

Criminal law; crime of promoting prostitution, penalty increased; crime of soliciting prostitution, penalty increased for repeat violations and soliciting trafficking victims

Criminal law; crime of promoting prostitution, penalty increased; crime of soliciting prostitution, penalty increased for repeat violations and soliciting trafficking victims

Crime
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Bolton
Last action
2026-01-21
Official status
Read Second Time in House of Origin
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Increasing Penalties for Promoting and Soliciting Prostitution

This bill increases the penalties for promoting prostitution from a misdemeanor to a felony, and raises the penalty for soliciting prostitution on repeat offenses or when involving trafficking victims.

What This Bill Does

  • Changes promoting prostitution in the third degree from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class D felony.
  • Increases the punishment for second-time offenders of soliciting prostitution to include at least five days in jail and a Class A misdemeanor charge.
  • Raises the penalty for third or subsequent offenses of soliciting prostitution to a Class D felony with a minimum 30-day jail sentence.
  • Makes it a Class D felony if someone solicits a trafficking victim for sexual acts involving money.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who promote prostitution
  • Individuals who repeatedly solicit prostitution
  • Victims of human trafficking

Terms To Know

Class D felony
A serious crime that carries a more severe punishment than a misdemeanor.
Trafficking victim
Someone who is forced or coerced into labor or sexual exploitation by another person.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how it will be enforced.
  • It's unclear what resources will be provided to support victims of trafficking and those soliciting prostitution.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

W1NTPE5-1

Judiciary

Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

Plain English: W1NTPE5-1 01/21/2026 CMH (H) HSE 2025-3495 House Judiciary Reported Substitute for HB158 Page 1 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT Relating to crimes and offenses; to amend Sections 13A-12-113, 13A-12-121, and 13A-12-122, Code of Alabama 1975, to increase the penalty for the crime of promoting prostitution; and to increase the penalty for the crime of soliciting prostitution under certain conditions, including repeat violations and soliciting certain victims.

  • W1NTPE5-1 01/21/2026 CMH (H) HSE 2025-3495 House Judiciary Reported Substitute for HB158 Page 1 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT Relating to crimes and offenses; to amend Sections 13A-12-113, 13A-12-121, and 13A-12-122, Code of Alabama 1975, to increase the penalty for the crime of promoting prostitution; and to increase the penalty for the crime of soliciting prostitution under certain conditions, including repeat violations and soliciting certain victims.
  • BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA: Section 1.
  • Sections 13A-12-113, 13A-12-121, and 13A-12-122, Code of Alabama 1975, are amended to read as follows: "§13A-12-113 (a) A person commits the crime of promoting prostitution in the third degree if he or she knowingly advances or profits from prostitution.
  • (b) Promoting prostitution in the third degree is a Class A misdemeanor Class D felony ." "§13A-12-121 (a) No person shall commit an act of prostitution as defined in Section 13A-12-120.
  • This amendment summary is using official source text because generated interpretation was skipped for this run.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-21 House

    Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar

  2. 2026-01-21 House

    Reported Out of Committee House of Origin

  3. 2026-01-13 House

    Pending Committee Action in House of Origin

  4. 2026-01-13 House

    Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Judiciary

Official Summary Text

Criminal law; crime of promoting prostitution, penalty increased; crime of soliciting prostitution, penalty increased for repeat violations and soliciting trafficking victims

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text
HB158 INTRODUCED
Page 0
HB158
9J7VYMB-1
By Representative Bolton
RFD: Judiciary
First Read: 13-Jan-26
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9J7VYMB-1 01/06/2025 CMH (L)CMH 2025-3495
Page 1
First Read: 13-Jan-26
SYNOPSIS:
Under existing law, the crime of promoting
prostitution in the third degree is a Class A
misdemeanor.
This bill would increase the penalty to a Class
D felony.
Under existing law, the crime of soliciting
prostitution is a Class A misdemeanor.
This bill would provide that on a second
conviction, the person must serve a minimum of five
days in the county jail; and that on a third or
subsequent conviction, the penalty would be increased
to a Class D felony and the person must serve a minimum
of 30 days in the county jail.
This bill would also increase the penalty for
soliciting prostitution to a Class D felony if the
person solicited is a victim of human trafficking.
A BILL
TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
Relating to crimes and offenses; to amend Sections
13A-12-113, 13A-12-121, and 13A-12-122, Code of Alabama 1975,
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HB158 INTRODUCED
Page 2
13A-12-113, 13A-12-121, and 13A-12-122, Code of Alabama 1975,
to increase the penalty for the crime of promoting
prostitution; and to increase the penalty for the crime of
soliciting prostitution under certain conditions, including
repeat violations and soliciting certain victims.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1. Sections 13A-12-113, 13A-12-121, and
13A-12-122, Code of Alabama 1975, are amended to read as
follows:
"§13A-12-113
(a) A person commits the crime of promoting
prostitution in the third degree if he or she knowingly
advances or profits from prostitution.
(b) Promoting prostitution in the third degree is a
Class A misdemeanor Class D felony ."
"§13A-12-121
(a) No person shall commit an act of prostitution as
defined in Section 13A-12-120.
(b)(1) No person shall solicit, compel, or coerce any
person to have sexual intercourse or participate in any
natural or unnatural sexual act, sodomy, or sexual contact for
monetary consideration or other thing of marketable value.
(2) A person who violates this subsection shall be
punished as follows:
a. On a first violation, the person shall be guilty of
a Class A misdemeanor.
b. On a second violation, the person shall be guilty of
a Class A misdemeanor and shall be sentenced to serve not less
than five days in the county jail.
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HB158 INTRODUCED
Page 3
than five days in the county jail.
c. On a third or subsequent violation, the person shall
be guilty of a Class D felony and shall be sentenced to serve
not less than 30 days in the county jail.
(3)a. If the person solicited, compelled, or coerced a
trafficking victim, as defined under Section 13A-6-151, to
engage in sexual intercourse, a sexual act, sodomy, or sexual
contact, the person shall be guilty of a Class D felony.
b. It is not a defense to prosecution under this
subdivision that the defendant did not know the victim was a
trafficking victim.
(c) No person shall agree to engage in sexual
intercourse, sodomy, or sexual contact with another or
participate in the act for monetary consideration or other
thing of marketable value and give or accept monetary
consideration or other thing of value in furtherance of the
agreement.
(d) No person shall knowingly do any of the following:
(1) Cause or aid a person to commit or engage in
prostitution.
(2) Procure or solicit patrons for prostitution.
(3) Provide persons or premises for prostitution
purposes.
(4) Receive or accept money or other thing of value
pursuant to a prior agreement with any person whereby he or
she participates or is to participate in the proceeds of any
prostitution activity.
(5) Operate or assist in the operation of a house of
prostitution or a prostitution enterprise."
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HB158 INTRODUCED
Page 4
prostitution or a prostitution enterprise."
"§13A-12-122
(a) Each Except as otherwise provided in Section
13A-12-121(b), each violation of Section 13A-12-121 is a Class
A misdemeanor.
(b) A violation of Section 13A-12-121.1 is a Class B
felony."
Section 2. This act shall become effective on October
1, 2026.
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