AN ACT RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- COMMERCIAL SEXUAL ACTIVITY (Establishes the commercial sex buyer’s accountability program which consists of an instructional program on prostitution and human trafficking schemes.)

H7201

2026 -- H 7201
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026
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A N A C T
RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- COMMERCIAL SEXUAL ACTIVITY

Introduced By:
Representatives McEntee, Spears, Caldwell, Casimiro, Felix, Craven, and
O'Brien

Date Introduced:
January 21, 2026

Referred To:
House Judiciary
It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
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SECTION 1. Sections 11-34.1-3 and 11-34.1-6 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-34.1
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entitled "Commercial Sexual Activity" are hereby amended to read as follows:
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11-34.1-3. Procurement of sexual conduct for a fee.
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(a) A person is guilty of procuring or attempting to procure sexual conduct for the payment
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of a fee if they engage or seek to engage in sexual conduct for any type of fee and/or pay or agree
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to pay any type of fee for sexual conduct, regardless of the time, place or location of the
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procurement, attempted procurement, payment, attempted payment or conduct. Any person found
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guilty under this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be subject to
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imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year, or to a fine of not less than two hundred fifty
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dollars ($250) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both.
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(b) Any person found guilty of a subsequent offense under this section shall be subject to
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imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year, or a fine of not less than five hundred dollars
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($500) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both.
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(c) In addition to any fine, fee, assessment or penalty authorized herein, a person who is
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found guilty, pleads nolo contendere, or is convicted of soliciting prostitution pursuant to this
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section, shall be ordered to participate in the “commercial sex buyer’s accountability program”
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pursuant to § 11-34.1-16, and assessed a mandatory fee of one thousand dollars ($1,000).
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11-34.1-6. Soliciting from motor vehicles for indecent purposes — Forfeiture of motor
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vehicle.

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(a) It shall be unlawful for any person, while an operator or passenger in a motor vehicle
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to stop, or attempt to stop another vehicle or pedestrian, or to engage or attempt to engage persons
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in another vehicle or pedestrians in conversation, for the purposes of prostitution or other indecent
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act, or to patronize, induce, or otherwise secure another person to commit any commercial sexual
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activity. Any person found guilty under this section shall be subject to a sentence of up to six (6)
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months incarceration or a fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) nor more than one
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thousand dollars ($1,000), or both.
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(b) Any person found guilty of a subsequent offense under this section shall be subject to
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imprisonment for a term of not more than one year and a fine of not less than seven hundred fifty
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dollars ($750) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000). No fine imposed under this section
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may be suspended.
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(c) The motor vehicle being unlawfully operated as defined in this chapter by a person
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convicted of a second or subsequent offense of soliciting from a motor vehicle for indecent
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purposes pursuant to this chapter which vehicle is owned by the operator, may be seized by the law
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enforcement agency and forfeited at the discretion of the court. Any funds received from the
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forfeiture shall be deposited in the victim’s of crimes indemnity fund (VCIF).
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(d) In addition to any fine, fee, assessment or penalty authorized herein, a person who is
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found guilty, pleads nolo contendere, or is convicted of soliciting prostitution pursuant to this
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section, shall be ordered to participate in the “commercial sex buyer’s accountability program”
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pursuant to § 11-34.1-16, and assessed a mandatory fee of one thousand dollars ($1,000).
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SECTION 2. Chapter 11-34.1 of the General Laws entitled "Commercial Sexual Activity"
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is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:
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11-34.1-16. The commercial sex buyer's accountability program.

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(a) There is hereby established an education program to be known as “commercial sex
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buyer’s accountability program” which shall consist of an instructional program on prostitution and
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human trafficking schemes offered in one or more locations throughout the state as follows:
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(1) By a local governmental entity, alone or in partnership with a nonprofit, pertaining to
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the proposed operation of an instructional program by the local government entity, or alternatively,
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by a nonprofit or other private provider on behalf of the local governmental entity and the attorney
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general. If a local governmental entity establishes and operates an instructional program, then the
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superior court of the State of Rhode Island or local governmental entity shall order a person
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convicted of an eligible offense under §§ 11-34.1-3 or 11-34.1-6 to attend that local governmental
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entity’s program; provided, the court shall not be required to order a person to attend that program
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until the first day of the month next following the date of which the attorney general notifies the

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court that the program has been established and approved by the attorney general; and
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(2) To be established within six (6) months of the effective date of this section. Any court
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that does not have an approved local governmental entity instructional program as established under
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this section, shall order a person convicted of an eligible offense under §§ 11-34.1-3 or 11-34.1-6,
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to attend the approved state program established under this section, unless there is a local
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government entity instructional program within twenty-five (25) miles of the court, and the court
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has been notified in accordance with this section of the availability of that program to accept
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participants from the court, in which case the court may order a person to attend the local
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governmental entity’s instructional program; regarding any program notice under this subsection,
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a court shall not be required to order a person to attend a program until the first day of the month
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next following the date on which the attorney general notifies the courts that the program has been
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established and approved by the attorney general.
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(b) The program shall include information intended to increase the person’s awareness of:
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(1) The causes of prostitution and its relationship to human trafficking;
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(2) The health risks connected with prostitution, including the risk of transmittable
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diseases;
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(3) The consequences of convictions for prostitution or human trafficking, including
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penalties for subsequent convictions; and
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(4) The pervasiveness of human trafficking as well as the long-term physical and
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psychological harms of prostitution and human trafficking on its victims.
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(c) Each assessment of the one thousand dollars ($1,000) fee pursuant to §§ 11-34.1-3(c)
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or 11-34.1-6(d) shall be collected by the court and forwarded to the department of treasury to be
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deposited into the crime victim compensation fund established pursuant to § 12-25-18. From this
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fee, six hundred dollars ($600) shall be retained in the fund and the remaining four hundred dollars
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($400) shall be distributed as follows:
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(1) Three hundred dollars ($300) to the approved provider of the “commercial sex buyer’s
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accountability program” established pursuant to this section; and
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(2) One hundred dollars ($100) to the law enforcement agency that arrested the person
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resulting in that person’s conviction.
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SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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EXPLANATION
BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL
OF
A N A C T
RELATING TO CRIMINAL OFFENSES -- COMMERCIAL SEXUAL ACTIVITY
***
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This act would establish the commercial sex buyer’s accountability program which consists
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of an instructional program on prostitution and human trafficking schemes. Any individual
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convicted pursuant to §§ 11-34.1-3 or 11-34.1-6 would be ordered to participate in the program and
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assessed a mandatory fee of one thousand dollars ($1,000).
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This act would take effect upon passage.
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