House Bill 158 Alabama 2026 Session

Updated Jan 23, 2026

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Ronald BoltonRepresentative
Republican
Session: 2026 Regular Session
Title: Criminal law; crime of promoting prostitution, penalty increased; crime of soliciting prostitution, penalty increased for repeat violations and soliciting trafficking victims
Summary: HB158 would raise penalties for promoting prostitution and soliciting prostitution, add tougher penalties for repeat offenses and trafficking victims, with an effective date of October 1, 2026.
What This Bill Does
It increases the penalty for promoting prostitution in the third degree from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class D felony. For solicitation, the bill keeps first offenses as a Class A misdemeanor, requires a minimum of five days in county jail for a second conviction, and makes a third or subsequent conviction a Class D felony with at least 30 days in county jail. It also makes soliciting a trafficking victim a Class D felony. The changes apply to Sections 13A-12-113, 13A-12-121, and 13A-12-122 and become effective October 1, 2026.

Who It Affects
People accused of promoting prostitution in Alabama – penalties for third-degree promotion would be raised from a Class A misdemeanor to a Class D felony.
People accused of soliciting prostitution – repeat offenders face added penalties (second offense at least 5 days in jail; third or later offenses become Class D felonies with at least 30 days in jail), and soliciting a trafficking victim would also be a Class D felony.

Key Provisions
Promoting prostitution in the third degree becomes a Class D felony (upgrading from Class A misdemeanor).
Solicitation penalties: first violation remains a Class A misdemeanor; second violation requires at least five days in county jail; third or subsequent violations become Class D felonies with at least 30 days in county jail.
Soliciting a trafficking victim (to engage in sexual acts) becomes a Class D felony, regardless of knowledge of the victim’s status.
Updates to Code sections 13A-12-113, 13A-12-121, and 13A-12-122 to reflect these penalties.
Effective date: October 1, 2026.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 11, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.
Subjects: Crimes & Offenses