CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 359(FIN) am "An Act relating to conspiracy to commit human trafficking in the first degree or sex trafficking in the first degree; relating to the crime of distribution of indecent material to minors, the crime of online enticement of a minor, the crime of prostitution, and the crime of sex trafficking; relating to forfeiture of property used in prostitution offenses; relating to testimony by video conference; adding Rule 38.3, Alaska Rules of Criminal Procedure; and providing for an effective date." 9:21:21 AM ANNIE CARPENETI, DEPARTMENT OF LAW, stated that the bill addressed sex trafficking. More than half the bill addressed a change in the title of a crime from "promoting prostitution in the first, second, third, and fourth degrees" to "sex trafficking" in those degrees. The reasons for the change in title were: 1) Communication. Law enforcement, almost uniformly, describes this conduct as sex trafficking, rather than "promoting prostitution." This communication has led to some misunderstandings over the last several years. 2) It is considered to be more respectful to victims of these crimes to be considered victims of sex trafficking, rather than people who are being promoted as prostitutes. The pages of the bill are conforming, throughout the statutes, to the name change. The bill also adds two crimes to the state's conspiracy law: 1) Human trafficking in the first degree, which is a class-A felony; and 2) Sex trafficking in the first degree, which is either a class-A felony, if you are trafficking an adult; or an unclassified felony, if you are trafficking a child. The bill raised the penalty for being a patron of a prostitute who is under 18 years of age, from a class-B misdemeanor to a class-C felony, if the patron is over 18- years-old and is at least three years older than the victim. The bill also addressed the crime of distribution of indecent material to minors. The bill tightened the elements of the crime to require the State, in prosecuting the person for this offence, to prove that the person intentionally distributed the material or possessed it with intent to distribute. The bill did not make any changes in the elements of the offenses, with one exception: the House Finance Committee changed the age of the victim from under 18 years of age to less than 20 years of age, for that crime to be considered an unclassified felony. The rational for that change was that 18 to 19 year old people may be considered adults in some ways, but were still vulnerable to victimization by older people. Co-Chair Stedman discussed the fiscal notes in the members' packets. Co-Chair Hoffman MOVED to report CSHB 359(FIN)am out of committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. There being NO OBJECTION, it was so ordered. CSHB 359(FIN)am was REPORTED out of committee with a "do pass" recommendation and with previously published indeterminate fiscal notes: FN8(COURT) and FN14(DOC), and previously published zero fiscal notes: FN9(DOA), FN10(DOA), FN11(DOL), FN12(DPS), FN13(DPS).