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Read. Follow. Verify.Alabama HB 158 raises penalties for promoting and soliciting prostitution
Last action · January 21, 2026: Read for the Second Time and placed on the CalendarSponsor: Ron Bolton
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What This Bill Would Do
Alabama lawmakers are advancing legislation to reclassify promoting prostitution in the third degree from a misdemeanor to a , while increasing penalties and jail time for repeat prostitution solicitation offenses and soliciting human trafficking victims, effective October 1, 2026.
Repeat offenders and individuals soliciting trafficking victims face mandatory jail time and felony charges, shifting the legal risk and financial liability for incarceration costs onto convicted individuals.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Individuals convicted of promoting prostitution
Their criminal classification changes from a misdemeanor to a Class D felony.
Repeat solicitors of prostitution
They face mandatory minimum jail sentences, financial liability for incarceration costs, and felony charges for third violations.
Human trafficking victims
Solicitors who target them face mandatory Class D felony charges regardless of the defendant's knowledge of the victim's status.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if someone is convicted of promoting prostitution in the third degree under this bill?
What are the penalties for a second violation of soliciting prostitution?
Can an offender use lack of knowledge as a defense if they solicited a human trafficking victim?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently on floor. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Passed.
Procedural history
4 actions- Jan 21, 2026HouseRead for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar
- Jan 21, 2026HouseCommitteeReported Out of Committee House of Origin
- Jan 13, 2026HouseCommitteePending Committee Action in House of Origin
- Jan 13, 2026HouseIntroducedRead for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Judiciary
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Escalation to Mandatory Incarceration
The legislation transitions repeat solicitation offenses from standard misdemeanor fines or probation into mandatory minimum jail sentences paired with direct offender liability for incarceration costs.
Sources
alison.legislature.state.al.us
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy50Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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