Rep. Ava Flanell

New Low: When Legalizing Prostitution Becomes a Legislative Priority Senate Bill 26-097 isn’t just misguided. It’s a glaring example of how disconnected the majority party has become from everyday Coloradans, especially those of us outside the metro bubble. While families worry about inflation, crime, water, agriculture, and keeping small towns alive, leadership is pushing legislation that most rural communities never asked for and clearly don’t want. Let’s cut through the spin. Removing penalties for prostitution doesn’t eliminate exploitation. It risks making it harder to see. Trafficking thrives where enforcement lines get blurry. Rural sheriffs already operate with low staffing, huge patrol areas, and limited social service backup. Taking away tools without replacing them isn’t reform. It’s negligence. And once again, local control takes a back seat. This bill effectively tells small towns and counties, “Your standards don’t matter.” That’s the same top-downwn playbook rural Colorado has been fighting for years. Decisions made in Denver. Consequences dumped everywhere else. The practical impacts won’t hit policy conferences or downtown high rises first. They’ll hit small communities where resources are tight, where law enforcement knows people by name, and where the margin for policy mistakes is razor thin. Coloradans deserve leadership focused on affordability, safety, infrastructure, and economic stability. Not ideological gestures that create uncertainty and ignore local realities. At some point, priorities matter. This bill sends a loud message that rural Colorado’s priorities aren’t even on the radar.