On Wednesday, HB 545 (Spano) received final passage on unanimous votes in both the House (
117-0) and the Senate (
39-0). The bill and its companion, SB 784 (Flores), prevent youth under the age of 18 from being prosecuted for prostitution and reflect that sexually exploiting a child in prostitution should be viewed as human trafficking. FCCB supports the measure which ensures that children involved in prostitution are viewed as victims, not culprits. The bill proceeds next to Governor Scott for his signature.