Gov. Katie Hobbs signs bill to make purchase of sex from adults a felony
June 6, 2026
PHOENIX - Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-Ariz.) has signed House Bill (HB) 2720 into law, according to the Arizona Human Trafficking Survivor Coalition.
HB 2720 is a bill that makes the purchase of sex from adults 18 years or older a felony offense, making Arizona the eighth state across the country to enact it, the coalition said.
The bill's sponsors were State Rep. Selina Bliss (R-District 1) and State Sen. Flavio Bravo (D-District 26), the coalition added.
However, State Rep. Matt Gress (R-District 4) championed a critical amendment, according to the coalition, allowing survivors of sex trafficking to petition the court to have qualifying records sealed.
The coalition also said, "HB 2720 increases accountability for those who seek to purchase sex and helps address one of the driving forces behind exploitation and trafficking."
"This law recognizes two important realities," said Sheri Lopez, President of the Arizona Human Trafficking Survivor Coalition and a survivor of human trafficking. "First, demand plays a critical role in sustaining exploitation. Second, survivors deserve meaningful opportunities to move forward without records connected to their victimization creating lifelong barriers. HB 2720 is an important step toward both accountability and survivor restoration."
Prior to this law, both buyers and sellers were charged equally with misdemeanors]
Sen. Flavio Bravo said the measure is the work of years of negotiations. It "reflects understanding that the status quo was not working," said Bravo, who represents a portion of Phoenix known for the prevalence of prostitutes on the streets.
Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who did a ceremonial bill signing Thursday, said it was time to scrap the laws that provided no differentiation between offering sex for money and paying for it.
"This approach completely ignores the fact that, statistically, the sex worker is very likely a victim while the consumer is almost certainly engaging in this illicit activity by choice,'' she said. "Why, then, are we treating the victim the same as the offender?'' Hobbs asked rhetorically. "This is not the way the system is supposed to work.''
Howard Fischer of the AZ Daily Star (Tucson) June 26, 2026
Prostitution once was legal in Arizona, not just in territorial days but also for six years after statehood in 1912.
There have been spotty movements to legalize it, like a small demonstration by fewer than a dozen sex workers in 2023 when Arizona was host to the Super Bowl. But there have been no proposals introduced at the Capitol in recent memory to decriminalize it or, as in the case of Nevada, make it a local option.
Would legalization — with regulations, licensing, oversight, and areas set aside for the business — be a better solution than having police out looking for prostitutes and their customers?
That is not something that I have heard talked about as a solution at all,'' Hobbs responded when asked at Thursday's signing. "I'm not saying that it's not a possible solution. But have you met our Legislature?'' [Regarding the Republican majority with lots of Christian influence.]
Even if it were politically achievable, Hobbs said she's not convinced it solves all the problems wrapped around prostitution. "I don't think there is any evidence that that would address the real issues of victimization and exploitation and trafficking that we've all talked about,'' Hobbs said. "And, possibly, even, taking the criminal consequences off the demand side could have the potential of making that worse.''
June 6, 2026
PHOENIX - Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-Ariz.) has signed House Bill (HB) 2720 into law, according to the Arizona Human Trafficking Survivor Coalition.
HB 2720 is a bill that makes the purchase of sex from adults 18 years or older a felony offense, making Arizona the eighth state across the country to enact it, the coalition said.
The bill's sponsors were State Rep. Selina Bliss (R-District 1) and State Sen. Flavio Bravo (D-District 26), the coalition added.
However, State Rep. Matt Gress (R-District 4) championed a critical amendment, according to the coalition, allowing survivors of sex trafficking to petition the court to have qualifying records sealed.
The coalition also said, "HB 2720 increases accountability for those who seek to purchase sex and helps address one of the driving forces behind exploitation and trafficking."
"This law recognizes two important realities," said Sheri Lopez, President of the Arizona Human Trafficking Survivor Coalition and a survivor of human trafficking. "First, demand plays a critical role in sustaining exploitation. Second, survivors deserve meaningful opportunities to move forward without records connected to their victimization creating lifelong barriers. HB 2720 is an important step toward both accountability and survivor restoration."
Prior to this law, both buyers and sellers were charged equally with misdemeanors]
Sen. Flavio Bravo said the measure is the work of years of negotiations. It "reflects understanding that the status quo was not working," said Bravo, who represents a portion of Phoenix known for the prevalence of prostitutes on the streets.
Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who did a ceremonial bill signing Thursday, said it was time to scrap the laws that provided no differentiation between offering sex for money and paying for it.
"This approach completely ignores the fact that, statistically, the sex worker is very likely a victim while the consumer is almost certainly engaging in this illicit activity by choice,'' she said. "Why, then, are we treating the victim the same as the offender?'' Hobbs asked rhetorically. "This is not the way the system is supposed to work.''
Howard Fischer of the AZ Daily Star (Tucson) June 26, 2026
Prostitution once was legal in Arizona, not just in territorial days but also for six years after statehood in 1912.
There have been spotty movements to legalize it, like a small demonstration by fewer than a dozen sex workers in 2023 when Arizona was host to the Super Bowl. But there have been no proposals introduced at the Capitol in recent memory to decriminalize it or, as in the case of Nevada, make it a local option.
Would legalization — with regulations, licensing, oversight, and areas set aside for the business — be a better solution than having police out looking for prostitutes and their customers?
That is not something that I have heard talked about as a solution at all,'' Hobbs responded when asked at Thursday's signing. "I'm not saying that it's not a possible solution. But have you met our Legislature?'' [Regarding the Republican majority with lots of Christian influence.]
Even if it were politically achievable, Hobbs said she's not convinced it solves all the problems wrapped around prostitution. "I don't think there is any evidence that that would address the real issues of victimization and exploitation and trafficking that we've all talked about,'' Hobbs said. "And, possibly, even, taking the criminal consequences off the demand side could have the potential of making that worse.''
