Nevada panel hears bill to mandate arrests, raise penalties for buyers in prostitution cases

Assemblymember Elaine Marzola introduced Assembly Bill 299 on behalf of Assembly District 21 and presented the measure to the Assembly Judiciary Committee, saying the bill aims to shift enforcement toward buyers of prostitution and reduce trafficking by increasing penalties and requiring arrest for solicitation.

Supporters told the committee AB299 would deter demand that fuels commercial sexual exploitation. Reagan Comas, representing Exquisite and R and R Partners, said the key driver of trafficking is buyers and that changing enforcement is necessary. Survivor Christina Rangel detailed her experience of trafficking in Las Vegas casinos and urged stronger consequences for buyers: “The way to end trafficking is to increase the penalties for buyers and to reduce the demand,” she said. District Attorney Tyson League argued mandatory arrests would create a lasting criminal record that helps prosecutors identify repeat buyers: “If you’re not booked, if you’re not processed, that record doesn’t follow you,” he said.

The bill, as explained by presenters, would require officers to arrest people suspected of soliciting prostitution rather than issuing citations; presenters also described changes to fines and civil penalties and to record-sealing timelines. According to testimony, current practice often results in a citation resembling a traffic ticket and a record sealed in one year. Presenters said AB299 would increase the first-offense monetary penalty and the civil penalty and would require arrest so the offense is entered in criminal history; the sponsor described the change as essential to creating a deterrent effect.

Opponents and several public defenders urged caution. Paloma Guerrero of the Clark County Public Defender’s Office said raising criminal penalties and expanding mandatory arrests could increase harm to people in the sex trade and to trafficking survivors, citing research that criminalization can push the industry underground and raise violence. Angela Knott of the Washoe County Public Defender’s Office warned the bill’s “shall” language would remove law enforcement discretion and allow warrantless arrests based on probable cause that, she said, can be thin: “A warrantless arrest based purely on probable cause can be as simple as me calling law enforcement, telling them that I saw [someone]…that is it. The cop must now arrest,” Knott said.

Several service providers and advocacy groups called for stronger accountability for buyers. Jennifer Noble, representing the Nevada District Attorneys Association, and Brenda Sandquist, executive director of Exquisite, testified in support. Lynn Chapman, State Vice President of Nevada Families for Freedom, also called for higher penalties, saying $800 “does not seem to be high enough.”

Law enforcement offered a neutral position during the hearing; Joshua Martinez of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said the department was neutral and willing to work on the bill. Committee members asked presenters for concrete data on how many sex‑workers versus buyers are arrested in sting operations and about price comparisons with licensed brothels; sponsors said they would provide additional information to the committee.

The committee heard pro, con and neutral testimony and closed the hearing on AB299 without a recorded committee vote during the session transcript. Committee staff and presenters committed to providing additional data and drafting clarifications to the bill language.

Details recorded in the hearing include speaker testimony and sponsor explanations; no final committee action on AB299 is recorded in the transcript.