Committee opens hearing on bill to make buying sex a felony and require AG‑approved education or treatment

TOPEKA — The Kansas Senate Judiciary Committee opened a hearing Jan. 27 on Senate Bill 71, a measure that would make all violations for buying sexual relations a severity level 9 felony, raise the statutory minimum fine, and require courts to order convicted buyers to participate in an Attorney General‑approved education or treatment program.

The bill would make the buying‑sex offense a severity level 9 felony for all violations, increase the minimum fine from $1,200 to $2,000 while keeping the $5,000 cap, and require that, for convictions occurring on or after the effective date, courts order participation in an educational or treatment program approved by the Kansas Attorney General. The reviser's summary also said the Attorney General would be required to adopt rules and regulations for program approval, evaluation and monitoring; the Office of Judicial Administration would be consulted on program design.

Proponents including prosecutors, law enforcement associations, survivor‑service providers and nonprofits told the committee the bill targets demand by increasing consequences for buyers and creating an approved diversion/education track. Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Hegay said lawmakers have “never taken adequate steps to curb the demand side of this problem.” Ed Klump, representing the Kansas Sheriffs Association, the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police and the Kansas Peace Officers Association, said moving the offense out of municipal courts “will help us in our prosecution of these cases and and investigation of them.”

Survivor‑service providers described victim needs and supported the bill’s mix of accountability and court‑ordered education. Angela Bowles, founder and executive director of Project to Restore, said buyers “are not paying attention to the overwhelming statistics” about trafficking harm and urged passage. Kristin Hammer of the YWCA of Northeast Kansas quoted a frontline advocate: “The most important part of saving victims is realizing how many ways and how many things we can do before something as horrific as commercial sexual exploitation occurs, and passing this bill is the first step.”

Human trafficking investigators and analysts told the committee the online marketplace is large in Kansas and local communities. Emma Markowitz, human trafficking intelligence analyst for the Shawnee County District Attorney’s Office, told the committee that as of 11:00 a.m. Jan. 27 she had counted about 171,312 online advertisements in Topeka attributed to 53,756 profiles and about 1,492,525 advertisements in Kansas attributed to 300,013 profiles; she said those figures are likely an undercount because some activity occurs off major advertising sites.

The reviser, Ms. Scott of the Revisor’s Office, described statutory changes in detail and noted timing: “starting July 1, 2026, those people who are convicted under these statutes would have to be participating in the attorney general's approved treatment program.” The reviser also outlined related edits that would remove references allowing cities to penalize the same conduct via municipal ordinance.

Committee members asked practical questions about consequences and implementation. Senator Shane asked whether the chosen severity level was appropriate; proponents said level 9 was selected because it aligns with existing sentencing structure and provides meaningful consequences without presumptive prison terms for offenders without an elevated criminal history. The reviser and conferees confirmed the bill does not add registration on the sex‑offender registry for buyers (the registry rules remain separate), and said they would double‑check whether buyers currently face any registration requirements. Law enforcement witnesses said investigative capacity is limited and that many investigations begin in the digital space; proponents acknowledged some investigations will require additional resources but described the bill as primarily a deterrent intended to reduce demand.

No committee vote was taken at the hearing. The committee heard testimony from roughly 10 proponent conferees in person and received multiple written statements from additional supporters. Chairwoman Warren opened and closed the hearing and set a Feb. 3 deadline for bill introduction requests for the committee.

Background and next steps: SB 71 would amend multiple Kansas statutes referenced in the reviser’s summary (statutory citations given in committee papers) to change how buying sexual relations and related diversion and human trafficking statutes operate and to require Attorney General‑approved programs for court‑ordered education or treatment. The committee accepted oral and written proponent testimony at the Jan. 27 hearing and did not take immediate action; future committee work could include technical drafting changes, fiscal notes, and potential appropriations or resource requests for implementation. The bill’s effective provisions related to the AG‑approved program were described as beginning July 1, 2026.

Votes at this hearing: none; the hearing was opened and then closed without a committee vote.