S.B. 2643 Summary

• Expands sex trafficking offense under section 712-1202 to include offering or agreeing to pay a fee or anything of value to a minor (or an undercover officer posing as a minor) to engage in sexual conduct, making such solicitation a Class A felony.

• Establishes strict liability for sex trafficking involving minors under subsections (1)(b) and (1)(c), meaning the defendant's knowledge of the victim's age is not required; consent is not a defense.

• Removes the criminal statute of limitations for sex trafficking and promoting prostitution prosecutions by adding these offenses to section 701-108.

• Repeals section 712-1209.1 (solicitation of a minor for prostitution) as a separate offense, consolidating this conduct under the expanded sex trafficking statute.

• Updates habitual solicitation of prostitution provisions to include sex trafficking violations under section 712-1202(1)(c) and increases the penalty to a Class A felony when the instant offense involves habitual solicitation tied to sex trafficking.