Legislative Update: Anti-Trafficking Bill Vote Moved

UPDATE on HB 201 
COMMITTEE VOTE POSTPONED TO WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30! 
YOUR PHONE CALL COULD MAKE THE DIFFERENCE.

HB 201: Relative to Increase Penalties for Adults Buying Sex from Minors

HB 201 will NOW be voted on by the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee at
10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 30.

Please CALL each member of the Committee and ask for an 
“ought to pass” vote on HB 201 AS INTRODUCED. 
You’ll find contact information below in our call to action.


HB 201 should have been voted on by the committee at its October 23rd meeting, but in a stunning turn of events that day, a favorable subcommittee recommendation was rescinded. 

In order for this important bill to go before the House in January with an “ought to pass” recommendation, each member of the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee needs to hear from you before October 30.

Background 

HB 201 would increase the penalty for anyone convicted of paying for sex with a minor, or paying to watch a sexually explicit “performance” involving a minor. The current maximum prison term for such an offense is 7 years (class B felony). HB 201 would raise the maximum penalty to 15 years (class A felony).

Last spring, pro-prostitution lobbyists hijacked the hearing on HB 201, leading to the bill being retained for study rather than passed. The subcommittee that studied the bill recommended unanimously that the full committee vote “Ought to Pass” on the bill. Suddenly, on October 23, the subcommittee’s decision was abandoned, and the full committee’s vote was delayed until October 30. The committee’s recommendation will go to the full House in January.
 

This is no time for second thoughts.
This is no time to give a “win” to lobbyists for the commercialized-sex industry.
Now is not the time for mixed messages about adults buying sex from minors. 

CALL TO ACTION
Contact the members of the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee before Wednesday’s vote and urge them to vote “Ought to Pass” on HB 201 as introduced.  All the committee members are listed here, and the committee as a whole can be emailed at HouseCriminalJusticeandPublicSafety@leg.state.nh.us.

Telephone calls are best in this case. Remember that House members don’t have offices, and the phone numbers you’ll find on the committee roster are members’ cell or home numbers. Your brief, clear, courteous message might be the one to sway the vote!

The Cornerstone team will be in Concord on October 30 to report on the committee’s vote. Watch for our Facebook and email updates.

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