Bauer’s HB 1269 passes unanimously out of House

Today, State Rep. Maureen Bauer's (D-South Bend) House Bill 1269 passed unanimously out of the House and advances to the Senate for further consideration.

HB 1269 strengthens Indiana’s criminal justice framework by providing courts with an additional, structured sentencing option through the creation of a court-ordered prostitution offender education program in statute. Indiana currently has no statewide framework for such a program.

Under the bill, a judge may offer the program as part of sentencing following an unlawful proposition conviction. Participation is required only if the court elects to offer the option. Participants would pay up to a $500 program fee, which would help sustain local and state resources focused on offender rehabilitation and victim assistance. The bill also creates a modest funding source for the Human Trafficking Prevention and Victim Assistance Fund, which currently exists in statute but has no dedicated funding. A portion of the collected fees would be distributed to local law enforcement agencies and county general funds, strengthening community resources and partnerships across jurisdictions.

Bauer released the following statement on the bill's passage out of the House:

"HB 1269 gives judges another tool to hold offenders accountable while also addressing the broader harms caused by prostitution and human trafficking. I would like to extend my many thanks to Raindrops Rising for bringing this legislation forward. This bill recognizes that accountability, education and prevention must go hand in hand. By establishing a statewide framework, we can create more consistency across Indiana while directing resources toward victim services and local communities.”