Bill Sponsors
Senator Matthew L. LaMountain
Committee
Senate Judiciary
Summary
Select
This legislation establishes the "Commercial Sex Buyer’s Accountability Program." Individuals convicted of procuring sexual conduct for a fee or soliciting from a motor vehicle will be required to participate in this educational program in addition to existing penalties. The program covers the causes of prostitution, health risks, and the impact of human trafficking. Offenders must also pay a mandatory fee of $1,000. This fee is distributed to the Crime Victim Compensation Fund ($600), the program provider ($300), and the arresting law enforcement agency ($100).
Sponsor
Analysis
Pros for Progressives
- Directs significant funding ($600 per offense) to the Crime Victim Compensation Fund, providing essential financial support to victims of crime and human trafficking.
- Shifts the focus slightly from pure incarceration to education and rehabilitation by mandating a program designed to raise awareness about the harms of exploitation and trafficking.
- Explicitly acknowledges the link between prostitution and human trafficking in the educational curriculum, potentially reducing demand by educating buyers on the victimization involved.
Cons for Progressives
- Creates a "policing for profit" incentive structure by awarding $100 directly to the arresting law enforcement agency for every conviction, which may encourage aggressive or predatory policing tactics.
- Imposes a high mandatory flat fee ($1,000) that does not account for income inequality, disproportionately punishing lower-income offenders compared to wealthy ones.
- Maintains a carceral and punitive approach to sex work rather than moving toward decriminalization or purely health-based harm reduction models often favored by progressives.
Pros for Conservatives
- Imposes stricter financial penalties ($1,000) on illegal behavior, reinforcing the rule of law and accountability for criminal conduct.
- Directly supports law enforcement agencies by allocating a portion of the collected fees ($100) back to the department responsible for the arrest.
- Promotes traditional social values by discouraging commercial sexual activity and educating offenders on the moral and legal consequences of their actions.
Cons for Conservatives
- Expands government bureaucracy by establishing a new state-mandated educational program that requires oversight and administration.
- Mandating "education" programs can be viewed by some as government overreach into personal thoughts or an attempt at state-sponsored social engineering.
- The distribution of funds to non-profits to run these programs could be seen as funneling money to organizations that may not align with conservative values.
Constitutional Concerns
None Likely
Impact Overview
Groups Affected
- Individuals convicted of soliciting prostitution
- Law enforcement agencies
- Victims of human trafficking
- Nonprofit program providers
- Court system personnel
Towns Affected
All
Cost to Taxpayers
None
Revenue Generated
$1,000/conviction
BillBuddy Impact Ratings
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Regulatory
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Clarity of Bill Language
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Environmental Impact
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Privacy Impact
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Bill Status
Current Status
Held
Comm Passed
Floor Passed
Law
History
• 01/16/2026 Introduced, referred to Senate Judiciary
Bill Text
SECTION 1. Sections 11-34.1-3 and 11-34.1-6 of the General Laws in Chapter 11-34.1 entitled "Commercial Sexual Activity" are hereby amended to read as follows:
11-34.1-3. Procurement of sexual conduct for a fee.
(a) A person is guilty of procuring or attempting to procure sexual conduct for the payment of a fee if they engage or seek to engage in sexual conduct for any type of fee and/or pay or agree to pay any type of fee for sexual conduct, regardless of the time, place or location of the procurement, attempted procurement, payment, attempted payment or conduct. Any person found guilty under this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be subject to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year, or to a fine of not less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both.
(b) Any person found guilty of a subsequent offense under this section shall be subject to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year, or a fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both.
(c) In addition to any fine, fee, assessment or penalty authorized herein, a person who is found guilty, pleads nolo contendere, or is convicted of soliciting prostitution pursuant to this section, shall be ordered to participate in the “commercial sex buyer’s accountability program” pursuant to § 11-34.1-16, and assessed a mandatory fee of one thousand dollars ($1,000).
11-34.1-6. Soliciting from motor vehicles for indecent purposes — Forfeiture of motor vehicle.
(a) It shall be unlawful for any person, while an operator or passenger in a motor vehicle to stop, or attempt to stop another vehicle or pedestrian, or to engage or attempt to engage persons in another vehicle or pedestrians in conversation, for the purposes of prostitution or other indecent act, or to patronize, induce, or otherwise secure another person to commit any commercial sexual activity. Any person found guilty under this section shall be subject to a sentence of up to six (6) months incarceration or a fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both.
(b) Any person found guilty of a subsequent offense under this section shall be subject to imprisonment for a term of not more than one year and a fine of not less than seven hundred fifty dollars ($750) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000). No fine imposed under this section may be suspended.
(c) The motor vehicle being unlawfully operated as defined in this chapter by a person convicted of a second or subsequent offense of soliciting from a motor vehicle for indecent purposes pursuant to this chapter which vehicle is owned by the operator, may be seized by the law enforcement agency and forfeited at the discretion of the court. Any funds received from the forfeiture shall be deposited in the victim’s of crimes indemnity fund (VCIF).
(d) In addition to any fine, fee, assessment or penalty authorized herein, a person who is found guilty, pleads nolo contendere, or is convicted of soliciting prostitution pursuant to this section, shall be ordered to participate in the “commercial sex buyer’s accountability program” pursuant to § 11-34.1-16, and assessed a mandatory fee of one thousand dollars ($1,000).
SECTION 2. Chapter 11-34.1 of the General Laws entitled "Commercial Sexual Activity" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:
11-34.1-16. The commercial sex buyer's accountability program.
(a) There is hereby established an education program to be known as “commercial sex buyer’s accountability program” which shall consist of an instructional program on prostitution and human trafficking schemes offered in one or more locations throughout the state as follows:
(1) By a local governmental entity, alone or in partnership with a nonprofit, pertaining to the proposed operation of an instructional program by the local government entity, or alternatively, by a nonprofit or other private provider on behalf of the local governmental entity and the attorney general. If a local governmental entity establishes and operates an instructional program, then the superior court of the State of Rhode Island or local governmental entity shall order a person convicted of an eligible offense under §§ 11-34.1-3 or 11-34.1-6 to attend that local governmental entity’s program; provided, the court shall not be required to order a person to attend that program until the first day of the month next following the date of which the attorney general notifies the LC004014 - Page 2 of 4 court that the program has been established and approved by the attorney general; and
(2) To be established within six (6) months of the effective date of this section. Any court that does not have an approved local governmental entity instructional program as established under this section, shall order a person convicted of an eligible offense under §§ 11-34.1-3 or 11-34.1-6, to attend the approved state program established under this section, unless there is a local government entity instructional program within twenty-five (25) miles of the court, and the court has been notified in accordance with this section of the availability of that program to accept participants from the court, in which case the court may order a person to attend the local governmental entity’s instructional program; regarding any program notice under this subsection, a court shall not be required to order a person to attend a program until the first day of the month next following the date on which the attorney general notifies the courts that the program has been established and approved by the attorney general.
(b) The program shall include information intended to increase the person’s awareness of:
(1) The causes of prostitution and its relationship to human trafficking;
(2) The health risks connected with prostitution, including the risk of transmittable diseases;
(3) The consequences of convictions for prostitution or human trafficking, including penalties for subsequent convictions; and
(4) The pervasiveness of human trafficking as well as the long-term physical and psychological harms of prostitution and human trafficking on its victims.
(c) Each assessment of the one thousand dollars ($1,000) fee pursuant to §§ 11-34.1-3(c) or 11-34.1-6(d) shall be collected by the court and forwarded to the department of treasury to be deposited into the crime victim compensation fund established pursuant to § 12-25-18. From this fee, six hundred dollars ($600) shall be retained in the fund and the remaining four hundred dollars ($400) shall be distributed as follows:
(1) Three hundred dollars ($300) to the approved provider of the “commercial sex buyer’s accountability program” established pursuant to this section; and
(2) One hundred dollars ($100) to the law enforcement agency that arrested the person resulting in that person’s conviction.
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.
11-34.1-3. Procurement of sexual conduct for a fee.
(a) A person is guilty of procuring or attempting to procure sexual conduct for the payment of a fee if they engage or seek to engage in sexual conduct for any type of fee and/or pay or agree to pay any type of fee for sexual conduct, regardless of the time, place or location of the procurement, attempted procurement, payment, attempted payment or conduct. Any person found guilty under this section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be subject to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year, or to a fine of not less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both.
(b) Any person found guilty of a subsequent offense under this section shall be subject to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one year, or a fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both.
(c) In addition to any fine, fee, assessment or penalty authorized herein, a person who is found guilty, pleads nolo contendere, or is convicted of soliciting prostitution pursuant to this section, shall be ordered to participate in the “commercial sex buyer’s accountability program” pursuant to § 11-34.1-16, and assessed a mandatory fee of one thousand dollars ($1,000).
11-34.1-6. Soliciting from motor vehicles for indecent purposes — Forfeiture of motor vehicle.
(a) It shall be unlawful for any person, while an operator or passenger in a motor vehicle to stop, or attempt to stop another vehicle or pedestrian, or to engage or attempt to engage persons in another vehicle or pedestrians in conversation, for the purposes of prostitution or other indecent act, or to patronize, induce, or otherwise secure another person to commit any commercial sexual activity. Any person found guilty under this section shall be subject to a sentence of up to six (6) months incarceration or a fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or both.
(b) Any person found guilty of a subsequent offense under this section shall be subject to imprisonment for a term of not more than one year and a fine of not less than seven hundred fifty dollars ($750) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000). No fine imposed under this section may be suspended.
(c) The motor vehicle being unlawfully operated as defined in this chapter by a person convicted of a second or subsequent offense of soliciting from a motor vehicle for indecent purposes pursuant to this chapter which vehicle is owned by the operator, may be seized by the law enforcement agency and forfeited at the discretion of the court. Any funds received from the forfeiture shall be deposited in the victim’s of crimes indemnity fund (VCIF).
(d) In addition to any fine, fee, assessment or penalty authorized herein, a person who is found guilty, pleads nolo contendere, or is convicted of soliciting prostitution pursuant to this section, shall be ordered to participate in the “commercial sex buyer’s accountability program” pursuant to § 11-34.1-16, and assessed a mandatory fee of one thousand dollars ($1,000).
SECTION 2. Chapter 11-34.1 of the General Laws entitled "Commercial Sexual Activity" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following section:
11-34.1-16. The commercial sex buyer's accountability program.
(a) There is hereby established an education program to be known as “commercial sex buyer’s accountability program” which shall consist of an instructional program on prostitution and human trafficking schemes offered in one or more locations throughout the state as follows:
(1) By a local governmental entity, alone or in partnership with a nonprofit, pertaining to the proposed operation of an instructional program by the local government entity, or alternatively, by a nonprofit or other private provider on behalf of the local governmental entity and the attorney general. If a local governmental entity establishes and operates an instructional program, then the superior court of the State of Rhode Island or local governmental entity shall order a person convicted of an eligible offense under §§ 11-34.1-3 or 11-34.1-6 to attend that local governmental entity’s program; provided, the court shall not be required to order a person to attend that program until the first day of the month next following the date of which the attorney general notifies the LC004014 - Page 2 of 4 court that the program has been established and approved by the attorney general; and
(2) To be established within six (6) months of the effective date of this section. Any court that does not have an approved local governmental entity instructional program as established under this section, shall order a person convicted of an eligible offense under §§ 11-34.1-3 or 11-34.1-6, to attend the approved state program established under this section, unless there is a local government entity instructional program within twenty-five (25) miles of the court, and the court has been notified in accordance with this section of the availability of that program to accept participants from the court, in which case the court may order a person to attend the local governmental entity’s instructional program; regarding any program notice under this subsection, a court shall not be required to order a person to attend a program until the first day of the month next following the date on which the attorney general notifies the courts that the program has been established and approved by the attorney general.
(b) The program shall include information intended to increase the person’s awareness of:
(1) The causes of prostitution and its relationship to human trafficking;
(2) The health risks connected with prostitution, including the risk of transmittable diseases;
(3) The consequences of convictions for prostitution or human trafficking, including penalties for subsequent convictions; and
(4) The pervasiveness of human trafficking as well as the long-term physical and psychological harms of prostitution and human trafficking on its victims.
(c) Each assessment of the one thousand dollars ($1,000) fee pursuant to §§ 11-34.1-3(c) or 11-34.1-6(d) shall be collected by the court and forwarded to the department of treasury to be deposited into the crime victim compensation fund established pursuant to § 12-25-18. From this fee, six hundred dollars ($600) shall be retained in the fund and the remaining four hundred dollars ($400) shall be distributed as follows:
(1) Three hundred dollars ($300) to the approved provider of the “commercial sex buyer’s accountability program” established pursuant to this section; and
(2) One hundred dollars ($100) to the law enforcement agency that arrested the person resulting in that person’s conviction.
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect upon passage.