Thursday, February 28, 2013

Another Prostitution Bill Passes House

The House just passed, unanimously another bill aimed at stopping the promotion of prostitution in New Mexico.

This was Rep. Tim Lewis' House Bill 295, which would add prostitution websites and online forums as places that promote prostitution.
Everyone knows it's Wendy.
(Breaking Bad fans will get it.)

This was sparked by a high-profile case involving a former president of The University of New Mexico.

F. Chris Garcia, a political science professor, was arrested in 2011 and accused of helping to run a website called Southwest Companions, which promoted prostitution.

But last year, a state district judge ruled that the website did not constitute a “house of prostitution.” Whitaker also said the website wasn’t a “place where prostitution is practiced, encouraged or allowed.”

That decision prompted Gov. Susana Martinez to call for legislators to update New Mexico’s prostitution laws to include websites.

Will 2013 be remembered as "The Year of the Pimp?" in the Legislature?

As I wrote about in today's New Mexican, this is one of several prostitution bills being heard in the Legislature this year.

I'm still not sure why this is such a hot topic in the Roundhouse this year. But these bills seem to be flying through.