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Bill cracking down on escorts’ business licenses passes in the Utah House

The Utah House voted 59-12 on Monday for a bill that boosts the criminal penalty for operating a sexually-oriented business without a license.

Rep. Jeff Stenquist, R-Draper, said his bill, HB258, is centered around escort services and aims to provide additional tools to law enforcement to go after prostitution.

“If they don’t have a business license, they can make an arrest off that without having to do the undercover work,” Stenquist said.

Current law makes it a Class B misdemeanor to operate a sexually-oriented business without a license. Stenquist’s bill would raise the classification to a Class A misdemeanor, which he said is comparable to operating a massage business without a license.