Lawmakers Finally Agree On Anti-Prostitution Bill

It's not a sex trafficking bill — but it sure comes close.

House Bill 240, which makes prostitutes eligible for witness protection and toughens Hawaii's prostitution laws, cleared a major hurdle Thursday and could well be headed to the governor's desk.

On Wednesday, the bill, which proposes doubling jail time for pimps and upping a repeat offense by johns from a misdemeanor to a felony, appeared to have stalled with lawmakers unable to agree on some wording.

But on Thursday afternoon, House Judiciary Chair Gilbert Keith-Agaran announced that the House and Senate agreed on a new version that includes a more succinct definition of "fraud":

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