Relating to increasing the criminal penalty for certain conduct constituting the offense of solicitation of prostitution.

HB 2181 increases criminal penalties for soliciting prostitution in Texas by creating three penalty tiers under the Penal Code. It raises the offense to a third-degree felony if the solicitor has a prior conviction for similar offenses or if the person they solicit is a trafficking victim (even if unknown to the solicitor). It escalates to a second-degree felony if the person solicited is under 18 years old, represented as under 18, or believed to be under 18 by the solicitor. The bill applies only to offenses committed on or after September 1, 2025, and does not affect cases occurring before that date.