Support the S.M.A.R.T. Act

We need your help in calling for support of the SMART Act during the current session of the Texas State Legislature.

What is the SMART Act?

The SMART Act (Standardizing Minimum Age Requirements in Texas) aims to raise the minimum age of employment in sexually oriented businesses (SOBs) from 18 to 21 and increase the criminal penalty for establishments that do not comply.

Strip clubs are often an entry point into “the life” for victims of trafficking and SOBs are often even complicit in sex trafficking. By raising the minimum age and creating harsher penalties for those who break the law, we can reduce the commercial sexual exploitation of minors in our state.

Watch KVUE’s coverage of advocates' efforts to support The SMART Act.

The SMART Act has seen early success during the current legislative session. So far, all versions of the bill that have been heard have been passed unanimously. This is much improved from the 2017 and 2019 legislative sessions, when this bill was first filed.

Status of bills that include The SMART Act language:

• HB 1655 – passed out of the House Committee on Licensing & Administrative Procedures (LAP) unanimously and is waiting in Calendars Committee to be scheduled for a floor debate/vote. This is the only version that calls for "everyone on premises" to be 21, including customers.

• HB 3520 – passed unanimously out of LAP and waiting in Calendars Committee.

• SB 766 – passed unanimously out of the Senate Committee on Jurisprudence and was referred to the local and uncontested calendar. Should receive a vote on the Senate floor this week.

• SB 315 – same status as SB 766.

• SB 1036 – waiting to be heard in the Senate Committee on Jurisprudence. This is the Senate anti-trafficking omnibus bill, which will add The SMART Act language.

How to Help Now

Contact Speaker Phelan’s office and express support for HB 1655 and HB 3520 to make it to the floor for a vote. Emphasize how important the SMART Act is for protecting young women from sexual assault.

Phone: (512) 463-1000
Email: dade.phelan@house.texas.gov

“We are here to fight the scourge of human trafficking and this is one more tool in the toolkit to protect our vulnerable youth.”

— Rep. Shawn Thierry, primary author

How to Help Going Forward

To follow along for more updates on the SMART Act, request to join the Texas SMART Act Army Facebook page.

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Want to receive email updates on how you can advocate for child survivors of sex trafficking and support The Refuge? Join our Advocacy Team for resources on raising awareness and sharing The Refuge mission. We’ll send you news articles, statistics, book recommendations, and social media graphics once per month.

End Prostitution Arrests For Child Survivors

Did you know 19 states can still arrest and charge child survivors of sex trafficking with the crime of prostitution?

Child sex trafficking is the only form of abuse where the victim can go to jail for the very crime committed against them. And tragically, Texas is one of those states that still charge children with prostitution.

“Children are not prostitutes—point blank, period. Any child who is being sexually exploited by an adult (for a fee or otherwise) should be protected from the adult perpetrator.”

— Rep. Shawn Thierry

Support HB 162

If passed, Representative Thierry’s House Bill 162 will put an end to prostitution arrests for children in the state of Texas and will ensure that law enforcement must return the child to their parent, a local service provider, or place them in the care of the Department of Family and Protective Services.

The Refuge joined advocates and survivors to testify in support of HB 162.

How to Help

You can help advocate for HB 162 by contacting the State Representatives on the Juvenile Justice and Family Issues Committee and let them know of your support. Utilize the sample email and contact list below!

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Dear Representative,

I'm writing today to respectfully request that you vote in support of CSHB 162 and for the protection of child sexual assault victims. I believe that it is the moral responsibility of the Texas Legislature to support these vulnerable children and to protect them from conviction of a crime that they cannot consent to. Children are not prostitutes. Trafficked children are victims, not perpetrators and to treat them as such is an egregious miscarriage of justice—it places the blame on the victim instead of the trafficker. We must protect our children from exploitation and CSHB 162 does just that. It rescues child sexual abuse victims and provides essential intervention and support.

I thank you for your work, and again ask that you stand in support of protecting our vulnerable children. Please vote CSHB 162 favorably out of committee!

Thank you,
[your name]

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Juvenile Justice and Family Issues Committee Members:

1. Chairwoman Victoria Neave Victoria.Neave@house.texas.gov
   Office Phone: (512) 463-0244

2. Vice Chair Valoree Swanson Valoree.Swanson@house.texas.gov
   Office Phone: (512) 463-0572

3. Representative David Cook David.Cook@house.texas.gov
   Office Phone: (512) 463-0374

4. Representative James Frank James.Frank@house.texas.gov
   Office Phone: (512) 463-0534

5. Representative Jeff Leach Jeff.Leach@house.texas.gov
   Office Phone: (512) 463-0544

6. Representative Ana-Maria Ramos Ana-Maria.Ramos@house.texas.gov
   Office Phone: (512) 463-0454

7. Representative James Talarico James.Talarico@house.texas.gov
   Office Phone: (512) 463-0670

8. Representative Cody Vasut Cody.Vasut@house.texas.gov
   Office Phone: (512) 463-0564

9. Representative Gene Wu Gene.Wu@house.texas.gov
   Office Phone: (512) 463-0492

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Want to receive email updates on how you can advocate for child survivors of sex trafficking and support The Refuge? Join our Advocacy Team for resources on raising awareness and sharing The Refuge mission. We’ll send you news articles, statistics, book recommendations, and social media graphics once per month.