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HB26-1082 • 2026

Children Are Not for Sale Act

The bill adds trading anything of monetary value to buy or sell sexual activity with a minor who the person knows is being trafficked for sexual servitude as an act of human trafficking of a minor for

Children Crime
Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Rep. S. Bottoms
Last action
2026-02-10
Official status
House Committee on Judiciary Postpone Indefinitely
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official status indicates this bill was postponed indefinitely by a committee in February 2026, meaning it has not passed into law despite the summary stating it 'passed Legislature' as introduced. The effective date is conditional on no referendum being filed.

Children Are Not for Sale Act

This bill makes trading anything with monetary value to buy or sell sex with a minor known to be trafficked a specific crime and requires life in prison without parole.

What This Bill Does

  • Adds trading items of monetary value to buy or sell sexual activity with a minor the person knows is being trafficked for sexual servitude as an act of human trafficking.
  • Changes the penalty for human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude from a class 2 felony to a class 1 felony.
  • Requires courts to sentence anyone convicted of this crime to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
  • States that not knowing the victim's age or believing they were over eighteen is not a legal defense in these cases.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who trade items of value for sexual activity with minors known to be trafficked
  • Courts sentencing individuals convicted of human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude

Terms To Know

Class 1 felony
The most serious type of crime under Colorado law, carrying the highest penalties.
Life imprisonment without parole
A prison sentence where a person stays in jail for their entire life and cannot be released early.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not stop the Governor from issuing pardons, clemency, or commuting sentences.
  • This law will only take effect if no referendum petition is filed within ninety days after the General Assembly adjourns.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-10 House

    House Committee on Judiciary Postpone Indefinitely

  2. 2026-02-02 House

    Introduced In House - Assigned to Judiciary

Official Summary Text

The bill adds trading anything of monetary value to buy or sell sexual activity with a minor who the person knows is being trafficked for sexual servitude as an act of human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude. The bill changes the penalty of human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude from a class 2 felony to a class 1 felony and requires the court to sentence a person convicted of the felony to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Second Regular Session
Seventy-fifth General Assembly
STATE OF COLORADO
INTRODUCED

LLS NO. 26-0548.01 Shelby Ross x4510 HOUSE BILL 26-1082
House Committees Senate Committees
Judiciary
A BILL FOR AN ACT
CONCERNING THE OFFENSE OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING OF A MINOR FOR101
SEXUAL SERVITUDE , AND , IN CONNECTION THEREWITH ,102
CHANGING THE PENALTY FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING OF A MINOR103
FOR SEXUAL SERVITUDE FROM A CLASS 2 FELONY TO A CLASS 1104
FELONY.105
Bill Summary
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does
not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill
passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that
applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at
http://leg.colorado.gov.)
The bill adds trading anything of monetary value to buy or sell
sexual activity with a minor who the person knows is being trafficked for
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
Bottoms,
SENATE SPONSORSHIP
(None),
Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.
Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law.
Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law.
sexual servitude as an act of human trafficking of a minor for sexual
servitude. The bill changes the penalty of human trafficking of a minor
for sexual servitude from a class 2 felony to a class 1 felony and requires
the court to sentence a person convicted of the felony to life
imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:1
SECTION 1. Short title. The short title of this act is the2
"Children Are Not for Sale Act".3
SECTION 2. Legislative declaration. (1) The general assembly4
finds and declares that:5
(a) Residents of Colorado and other states and territories6
throughout the United States have seen an alarming increase in human7
trafficking, especially human trafficking involving minor children;8
(b) Current penalties in Colorado law, with parole eligibility in as9
little as 8 years, have failed to adequately deter the human trafficking of10
minor children; and11
(c) It is the measure of a fair and compassionate society to ensure12
that children are not for sale.13
SECTION 3. In Colorado Revised Statutes, 18-3-504, amend14
(2)(a) and (2)(b); and add (5) as follows:15
18-3-504. Human trafficking for sexual servitude - human16
trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude.17
(2) (a) A person commits human trafficking of a minor for sexual18
servitude if the person:19
(I) Knowingly sells, recruits, harbors, transports, transfers,20
isolates, entices, provides, receives, obtains by any means, maintains, or21
makes available a minor for the purpose of commercial sexual activity;22
or23
HB26-1082-2-
(II) Knowingly advertises, offers to sell, or sells travel services1
that facilitate an activity prohibited pursuant to subsection (2)(a)(I) of this2
section; OR3
(III) T RADES ANYTHING OF MONETARY VALUE TO BUY OR SELL4
SEXUAL ACTIVITY WITH A MINOR WHO THE PERSON KNOWS IS BEING5
TRAFFICKED FOR SEXUAL SERVITUDE . IN A CRIMINAL PROSECUTION6
BROUGHT PURSUANT TO THIS SUBSECTION (2)(a)(III), IT IS NOT A DEFENSE7
THAT THE DEFENDANT DID NOT KNOW THE MINOR 'S AGE OR THAT THE8
DEFENDANT REASONABLY BELIEVED THE MINOR TO BE EIGHTEEN YEARS9
OLD OR OLDER.10
(b) Human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude is a class 211
CLASS 1 felony. The court shall sentence a person convicted of such a12
class 2 felony to the department of corrections for a term of at least the13
minimum of the presumptive range for a class 2 felony, as set forth in14
section 18-1.3-401 HUMAN TRAFFICKING OF A MINOR FOR SEXUAL15
SERVITUDE TO LIFE IMPRISONMENT WITHOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF PAROLE.16
(5) T HIS SECTION DOES NOT PROHIBIT THE GOVERNOR FROM17
ISSUING A PARDON OR CLEMENCY OR FROM COMMUTING A SENTENCE.18
SECTION 4. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act19
takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the20
ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly (August21
12, 2026, if adjournment sine die is on May 13, 2026); except that, if a22
referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V of the23
state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this act24
within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take effect25
unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in26
HB26-1082-3-
November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the1
official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.2
HB26-1082-4-