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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3359 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2467
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
Meghan K. Kilcoyne
_________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act to study the decriminalization of sex work.
_______________
PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Meghan K. Kilcoyne12th Worcester1/17/2025 1 of 3
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3359 FILED ON: 1/17/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2467
By Representative Kilcoyne of Clinton, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2467) of
Meghan K. Kilcoyne for legislation to establish an interagency committee to study
decriminalizing sex work. Public Health.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
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An Act to study the decriminalization of sex work.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 SECTION 19. Chapter 272 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding after
2section
3 53B the following section, which shall be titled “Interagency committee to study
4 decriminalizing sex work”:-
5 Section 53C. (a) There shall be an interagency committee to be convened by the
6Executive
7 Office of Health and Human Services within 90 days from the date of the enactment of
8this
9 provision to study decriminalizing sex work. The committee shall consist of: (i) the
10 secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services or the secretary’s 2 of 3
11 designee; (ii) a representative of the Department of Public Health; (iii) a representative of
12 the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development; (iv) a representative of the
13 Department of Housing and Community Development; (v) a representative of the
14 Department of Children and Families; (vii) a representative from an organization focused
15on
16 advocacy for sex workers; (viii) a representative from an organization focused on
17 advocating for transgender people and racial justice; (ix) a survivor or direct service
18 provider from an organization representing survivors of human trafficking in the
19 commercial sex sector; (x) representative from the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center; (xi) a
20 representative from the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts; (xii) a
21 representative from an organization focused on harm reduction related to substance
22 use;(xiii) a representative from an organization focused on advocating for legal defense
23and
24 bonds for undocumented people; (xiv) a representative from the Committee for Public
25 Counsel Services; and (xv) at least three current or former sex workers. The members of
26the
27 committee shall be appointed by the secretary of the Executive Office of Health and
28 Human Services or the secretary’s designee unless otherwise stated. Two co-chairs shall 3 of 3
29 be appointed by majority vote of commission members. Adequate compensation for
30 services shall be determined by a schedule of fees adopted by the committee.
31 The committee shall be responsible for studying and making recommendations towards
32 the following: (i) what criminal penalties and collateral consequences exist related to the
33 criminalization of sex work, (ii) what labor protections need to be in place under
34 decriminalization, (iii) what services need to be made available to people engaged in
35 commercial sex to improve health and safety outcomes, (iv) identify the methods of
36human
37 trafficking and exploitation in order to develop strategies to reduce these activities in
38 collaboration with sex workers, with a focus on prevention, (v) implementation models
39for
40 alternatives to policing to promote safety in the commercial sex sector, rooted in public
41 health, and (vi) the development of a fund to prevent, reduce, prevent, and eliminate
42 human trafficking that shall include ways to support the health, safety, and autonomy of
43 sex workers.