Attorney General Ken Paxton released the following statement on the passing of HB 1540, the Human Trafficking Prevention Taskforce’s omnibus bill which creates a separate offense for buying sex and raises to the level of a state jail felony the penalty for buying sex from an adult.

“Texas is the first in the country to punish sex buyers with felonies, which is a substantial step towards curbing the demand for commercial sex,” Attorney General Paxton said. “Human trafficking is modern day slavery – targeting vulnerable men, women and children in our communities. I commend our legislature for passing laws that fight this inexcusable offense.”

Read the bill here.