Senate Judiciary Committee lays over SB97 to June 2 after sponsor testimony on decriminalization

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, March 11, voted 7-0 to lay over Senate Bill 97 — legislation that would decriminalize consensual adult sex work — until June 2, 2026, after extended sponsor testimony and discussion.

Sen. Hendrickson moved to lay the bill over at the sponsors’ request; the roll call produced a unanimous 7-0 tally to postpone further consideration until June 2, 2026. The motion was recorded as approved by Senators Carson, Doherty, Henrikson, Wallace, Zamora Wilson, Roberts and the committee chair.

Sen. Cutter, a sponsor of SB97, told the committee the legislation seeks to reduce marginalization and allow sex workers safer access to housing, employment and services. "I believe everyone has the right to choose what to do with their bodies and how to support themselves," Cutter said, arguing that criminal records for consensual sex work block people from housing and jobs.

Sen. Hendrickson, the bill’s other sponsor recorded in the hearing, framed SB97 as a decriminalization measure distinct from legalization, saying the proposal would not create a licensing regime but would remove criminal penalties for consensual adult exchanges while leaving statutes that address trafficking, coercion and exploitation intact. Hendrickson cited international examples and academic work to support the sponsors’ claims, saying reforms in other jurisdictions have been associated with declines in violence against sex workers and lower rates of sexually transmitted infections.

Hendrickson referenced New Zealand’s Prostitution Reform Act and a study by Scott Cunningham (Baylor University) and Manisha Shah (UCLA), saying those sources showed reductions in violence and STI transmission in some cases. The sponsor also listed national and international organizations that support decriminalization, including UNAIDS, Amnesty International, the World Health Organization, the ACLU and the Human Rights Campaign.

Sponsors emphasized that SB97 would preserve criminal penalties for trafficking, pimping and coercion and that the intent is to allow people who engage in consensual adult sex work to report abuse and access services without fear of prosecution. Opponents’ characterizations of the bill as "legalization" were criticized in the hearing as misrepresentations of the proposal’s scope.

After the layover motion carried, the chair closed the meeting, noting the issue’s complexity and that the committee would consider additional bills at future meetings.

The committee did not take final action on SB97; the layover postpones further consideration until the stated June 2, 2026 date.