A bill that would have decriminalized prostitution in Colorado was killed this week because it did not get the votes needed.
It was opposed by conservatives.
According to state Sen. Lisa Cutter (D), the bill did not get enough votes to make it out of committee, Denver 7 reported Tuesday.
The Colorado General Assembly’s website identified it as SB26-097, titled “Decriminalize Adult Commercial Sexual Activity.”
Per its summary:
The bill requires the statewide decriminalization of commercial sexual activity among consenting adults. It declares that decriminalizing commercial sexual activity among consenting adults is a matter of statewide concern and expressly preempts statutory or home rule city, town, city and county, or county ordinances, resolutions, regulations, or codes criminalizing commercial sexual activity.
The bill repeals the state criminal offenses of prostitution, soliciting for prostitution, keeping a place of prostitution, patronizing a prostitute, and prostitute making display. It also repeals the offense of pandering when it involves knowingly arranging or offering to arrange a situation that permits a person to practice prostitution.
Meanwhile, the Daily Signal reported one of the Colorado lawmakers, a Democrat, was abandoning his own bill to shield those involved in prostitution from having to testify.
“State Sen. Nick Hinrichsen, the main sponsor of SB26-097, told the Colorado Sun that his bill lacks the necessary support to clear the Senate Judiciary Committee, so he will ask to delay the measure until after the 2026 legislative session, effectively killing the bill,” the outlet stated.
In response to the news that the bill was abandoned, Victor Marx, who is a Republican candidate for Colorado governor, said, “Senate Bill 97, which would have made Colorado the first state to fully remove criminal penalties for prostitution, is now OFF THE TABLE. That’s a win for everyone who cares about our communities.”
He added that it not only would have decriminalized prostitution but “also stripped local communities of their ability to create their own laws against it. That poses a serious threat to our safety and community values.”
“United voices pressured a small group of progressive legislators to abandon this harmful bill, which would have reduced Coloradans to mere objects for sale,” Marx continued, adding, “Thanks to the efforts of so many Coloradans, including Pastor @jimburgen and the leaders at Flatirons Church, over 100,000 people were mobilized to contact Colorado legislators.”
In his op-ed posted in February, El Paso County, Colorado, Sheriff Joseph Roybal said the bill raised “serious concerns.”
“Although the bill applies only to ‘consenting adults,’ history shows coercion, fraud, addiction, and economic pressure are often present, making true consent difficult to determine,” he wrote. “Removing critical investigative tools risks increasing exploitation while reducing opportunities to identify and assist victims.”
Roybal continued:
Prostitution turns men and women into human commodities, reducing human beings to objects bought and sold. In law enforcement, prostitution rarely appears separate from human trafficking. The two are deeply intertwined. Under current law, prostitution-related enforcement often provides the first point of contact between victims and law enforcement. These encounters allow officers to identify warning signs, separate individuals from those exerting control, and connect victims with support services. Removing these tools does not improve victim safety; it makes victims less visible.
In recent years, Teen Vogue tried to promote prostitution among young people as “real work,” and Breitbart News reported that billionaire George Soros’s Open Society Foundations (OSF) had donated over $1 million to groups aiming to normalize and legalize prostitution.
“Today’s victory proves that when we stand together, we can make a real difference and hold our lawmakers accountable,” Marx said in his recent post, concluding, “This reminds us why it’s vital to elect representatives who embody our Colorado values. We must stay vigilant, the next bad bill is likely just around the corner.”
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