HB 225 Summary

• Establishes three degrees of sex trafficking crimes (AS 11.41.340-11.41.347) with sex trafficking in the first degree as an unclassified felony and creates the new crime of "patron of a victim of sex trafficking" as a class B or C felony depending on victim age.

• Creates a process allowing persons convicted of prostitution under AS 11.66.100(a)(1) to petition courts to vacate their convictions if they were victims of sex trafficking at the time of the offense, with burden of proof by preponderance of evidence.

• Modifies human trafficking statutes to increase penalties, changing first degree from class A to unclassified felony and second degree from class B to class A felony, while adding specific methods of coercion.

• Removes prosecution bars for prostitution victims who report sex trafficking crimes and makes sex trafficking convictions ineligible for sentence suspension or deferred prosecution.

• Effective July 1, 2020, with applicability provisions governing when new provisions apply to pending and future cases based on offense and sentencing dates.