Committee hears testimony on making first-offense buyers felony and mandating AG-approved treatment

Senate Bill 71 would reclassify the crime commonly referred to in committee as "buying sexual relations" so that a first offense becomes a severity level 9 person felony, increase the minimum fine to $2,000, and require offenders to complete an educational or treatment program approved by the Attorney General in certain cases.

Under the bill as described by the committee reviser, section 1 would direct the Attorney General to consult with the Office of Judicial Administration and adopt rules to evaluate and approve one or more educational or treatment programs regarding commercial sexual exploitation; the AG would adopt rules and regulations by Jan. 1, 2026. Sections amending chapter 12 statutes would remove references to municipal ordinances for the offense. For the buying-sexual-relations offense, the bill would change the penalty structure: all violations would be a severity level 9 person felony (eliminating the current first-offense misdemeanor), increase the statutory fine minimum…