SSB 6251 -
By Senators Kline, Kohl-Welles, Padden
ADOPTED 02/08/2012
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 The legislature finds it unacceptable that
Washington's children are being sold for sex in advertisements. A 2008
Seattle human services department report estimated that there are three
hundred to five hundred children being exploited for sex in the Seattle
area alone each year. The legislature finds that the practice of
escort services advertising includes minors who are being sold for sex,
a form of sex trafficking and commercial sexual abuse of minors.
According to the Seattle police department, since the beginning of
2010, at least twenty-two children have been advertised online in the
Seattle area for commercial sex and were recovered by the police
department. The legislature is committed to eliminating sex
trafficking of minors in a manner consistent with federal laws
prohibiting sexual exploitation of children.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 A new section is added to chapter 9.68A RCW
to read as follows:
(1) A person commits the offense of advertising commercial sexual
abuse of a minor if he or she knowingly publishes, disseminates, or
displays, or causes directly or indirectly, to be published,
disseminated, or displayed, any advertisement for a commercial sex act,
which is to take place in the state of Washington and that includes the
depiction of a minor.
(a) "Advertisement for a commercial sex act" means any
advertisement or offer in electronic or print media, which includes
either an explicit or implicit offer for a commercial sex act to occur
in Washington.
(b) "Commercial sex act" means any act of sexual contact or sexual
intercourse, both as defined in chapter 9A.44 RCW, for which something
of value is given or received by any person.
(c) "Depiction" as used in this section means any photograph or
visual or printed matter as defined in RCW 9.68A.011 (2) and (3).
(2) In a prosecution under this statute it is not a defense that
the defendant did not know the age of the minor depicted in the
advertisement. It is a defense, which the defendant must prove by a
preponderance of the evidence, that the defendant made a reasonable
bona fide attempt to ascertain the true age of the minor depicted in
the advertisement by requiring, prior to publication, dissemination, or
display of the advertisement, production of a driver's license,
marriage license, birth certificate, or other governmental or
educational identification card or paper of the minor depicted in the
advertisement and did not rely solely on oral or written
representations of the minor's age, or the apparent age of the minor as
depicted. In order to invoke the defense, the defendant must produce
for inspection by law enforcement a record of the identification used
to verify the age of the person depicted in the advertisement.
(3) Advertising commercial sexual abuse of a minor is a class C
felony.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 If any part of this act is found to be in
conflict with federal requirements that are a prescribed condition to
the allocation of federal funds to the state, the conflicting part of
this act is inoperative solely to the extent of the conflict and with
respect to the agencies directly affected, and this finding does not
affect the operation of the remainder of this act in its application to
the agencies concerned. Rules adopted under this act must meet federal
requirements that are a necessary condition to the receipt of federal
funds by the state."
SSB 6251 -
By Senators Kline, Kohl-Welles, Padden
ADOPTED 02/08/2012
On page 1, line 1 of the title, after "minor;" strike the remainder of the title and insert "adding a new section to chapter 9.68A RCW; creating new sections; and prescribing penalties."
EFFECT: Clarifies that a person commits the applicable offense if he or she knowingly publishes, disseminates, or displays, or causes directly or indirectly, to be published, disseminated, or displayed, any advertisement for a commercial sex act, which is to take place in this state and that includes the depiction of a minor. Adds definitions for advertisement for commercial sex act, commercial sex act, and depiction. Adds a recordkeeping component to the defense against the applicable offense. Adds a federal severability clause.