| Passed by the Senate March 7, 2006 YEAS 48 ________________________________________ President of the Senate Passed by the House March 1, 2006 YEAS 98 ________________________________________ Speaker of the House of Representatives | I, Thomas Hoemann, Secretary of the Senate of the State of Washington, do hereby certify that the attached is SENATE BILL 6731 as passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives on the dates hereon set forth. ________________________________________ Secretary | |
| Approved ________________________________________ Governor of the State of Washington | Secretary of State State of Washington |
| State of Washington | 59th Legislature | 2006 Regular Session |
Read first time 01/19/2006. Referred to Committee on Labor, Commerce, Research & Development.
AN ACT Relating to prohibiting sellers of travel from promoting travel for sex tourism; adding a new section to chapter 9A.88 RCW; adding a new section to chapter 19.138 RCW; creating a new section; and prescribing penalties.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 The legislature finds that the sex industry
has rapidly expanded over the past several decades. It involves sexual
exploitation of persons, predominantly women and girls, including
activities relating to prostitution, pornography, sex tourism, and
other commercial sexual services. Prostitution and related activities
contribute to the trafficking in persons, as does sex tourism.
Therefore, discouraging sex tourism is key to reducing the demand for
sex trafficking.
While prostitution is illegal in developing nations that are the
primary destination of sex tourism, sex tourism is a major component of
the local economy. The laws target female workers rather than the male
customers, and economic opportunities for females are limited.
Developed nations create the demand for sex tourism, yet often fail to
criminalize the practice, or the existing laws fail to specifically
target the sellers of travel who organize, facilitate, and promote sex
tourism.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 A new section is added to chapter 9A.88 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) A person commits the offense of promoting travel for
prostitution if the person knowingly sells or offers to sell travel
services that include or facilitate travel for the purpose of engaging
in what would be patronizing a prostitute or promoting prostitution, if
occurring in the state.
(2) For purposes of this section, "travel services" has the same
meaning as defined in RCW 19.138.021.
(3) Promoting travel for prostitution is a class C felony.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 A new section is added to chapter 19.138 RCW
to read as follows:
(1) No seller of travel shall engage in any of the following:
(a) Promoting travel for prostitution;
(b) Selling, advertising, or otherwise offering to sell travel
services or facilitate travel:
(i) For the purposes of engaging in a commercial sex act;
(ii) That consists of tourism packages or activities using and
offering sexual acts as an enticement for tourism; or
(iii) That provides, purports to provide access to, or facilitates
the availability of sex escorts or sexual services.
(2) For the purposes of this section:
(a) "Commercial sex act" means any sexual contact, as defined in
chapter 9A.44 RCW, for which anything of value is given to or received
by any person.
(b) "Sexual act" means any sexual contact as defined in chapter
9A.44 RCW.