An act relating to voluntary engagement in sex work

H.190 repeals Vermont's century-old laws that criminalized consensual sex work between adults and "indiscriminate sexual intercourse," while maintaining strict felony penalties for human trafficking involving force, fraud, or coercion. The bill directly affects adult sex workers engaging in voluntary, consensual transactions by removing criminal penalties for their work. Key provisions include repealing Chapter 59 of Vermont law (prostitution statutes) and preserving existing trafficking laws under 13 V.S.A. chapter 60, which define coercion broadly to include debt bondage, threats, and exploitation of immigration documents. This policy change aims to reduce health and safety risks for sex workers by ending criminalization, based on evidence linking such laws to increased violence and reduced access to healthcare.