The Washington Senate approved legislation by Rep. Debra Entenman, D-Kent, that takes on sex traffickers who attempt to circumvent no-contact orders placed against them by their victims.
The legislation, House Bill 1055, passed both chambers of the Legislature with an unanimous vote, and heads to the governor’s desk. The Senate passed the bill on March 29 and the House on Feb. 14.
“Young women and teenagers are brought to this country and forced into prostitution,” Entenman said in a news release. “It is horrendous and it must be stopped. That is why I am so proud my first bill to pass the Legislature goes after the promoters of this crime.”
Under this new legislation, when there is probable cause a person under investigation for sex trafficking violates a no-contact order for promoting prostitution and trafficking by contacting their victims, law enforcement can arrest the trafficker without a warrant – something that already exists for many no-contact orders.
Traffickers often violate their no-contact orders in order to intimidate or physically harm their victims and law enforcement loses valuable time stopping those abusers while having to pursue a warrant from a judge.
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