MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The state Senate voted to make prostitution a crime statewide, closing a loophole that allows streetwalkers to ply their trade in some unincorporated areas.
The measure, approved by the Senate in the closing hours of its final day in session Monday, makes it illegal to buy or sell sex. Gov. Don Siegelman plans to sign the measure into law, said Paul Hamrick, the governor's chief of staff.
The Legislature passed laws in 1977 to punish pimps and madams for promoting prostitution, but the laws didn't target prostitutes and their customers. Many cities and Jefferson County have ordinances against prostitution, but the practice is legal outside city limits in most counties.
The National Conference of State Legislatures in Denver said that it could find no other state without a statewide law directly targeting prostitutes. However, state prostitution laws in Nevada include an exception permitting sale of sex in brothels in some counties.