The Texas Senate on final passage approved House Bill 17 78, a broad criminal-justice measure that updates statutes on human trafficking, prostitution and child sexual exploitation and adds new victim protections.

Senator Joan Huffman, speaking for the bill, said it codifies recommendations from the Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force and “strengthen[s] human trafficking prevention and response by enhancing interagency coordination.” Huffman described provisions that expand identification training to include tattoo and piercing studios and add continuing education for barbers and cosmetologists. "This will make this a first degree felony with a minimum of 15 years in prison" for certain child-exploitation promotion offenses, Huffman said during debate.

The bill's nut graf: supporters said HB 17 78 aims to close legal gaps and give prosecutors more tools to pursue traffickers and those who promote the sexual exploitation of children while expanding protections for victims.

On details, Huffman outlined the bill's key provisions: restoring parts of pre‑2023 solicitation language, creating a new offense of continuous promotion of prostitution (designated in the bill as a first‑degree felony), clarifying that sentencing enhancements for trafficking a child or a person with disabilities apply irrespective of the offender’s knowledge of the victim’s status, and resolving conflicting penalties for child sexual‑abuse image offenses. The bill also broadens the duty to report certain assaultive offenses against children, extends some statutes of limitation for failure‑to‑report claims, and allows broader use of relationship evidence to contextualize victim behavior in trafficking prosecutions. Supporters also said it expands admissibility of multiple outcry statements where they describe different incidents.

Senators followed the regular sequence: suspension of the regular order to take up the bill, passage to third reading, suspension of the three‑day rule and final passage. The roll call recorded 31 ayes, 0 nays, and the bill was finally passed on third reading.

Discussion versus decision: the transcript shows policy explanation and advocacy from the bill's sponsor but no floor amendments or recorded objections during the floor debate. The formal actions recorded were procedural motions (suspensions and readings) and final passage votes.

Background/context: Huffman said the bill "supports our fight against human trafficking and sexual assault, protecting victims, and giving prosecutors tools to, very robustly prosecute" offenders. The Senate message and caption read in the chamber identified the bill as "relating to human trafficking, prostitution, and child sexual exploitation, and to the prosecution of sexual assaultive offenses."

The ending: with no recorded objections and unanimous roll‑call support, the bill passed and moves on per the legislative process for enrollment and signing.