Legislation to protect sex workers from violent crime is on its way to the governor’s desk after receiving approval from the Colorado legislature on Wednesday.

If signed into law, House Bill 1288 would allow sex workers to report violent crimes without fear of being arrested by granting victims and witnesses of violent crime immunity from prostitution-related charges when reporting to police. The bill was unanimously passed by both the state Senate and House.

“Sex workers are victims of crime almost every single day,” said bill sponsor Sen. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora. “Just because you do that kind of work, doesn’t mean that you should not elevate your hand when you are experiencing sexual assault. It shouldn’t be about your profession that you are chilled and silenced.”

Supporters of the bill described sex workers as “easy targets” who are specifically chosen by criminals because they are less likely to go to the police.

Of adult sex workers, 82% have been physically assaulted, 83% have been threatened with a weapon, 68% have been violently raped and 84% were or are currently homeless, according to the Academic Journal of Women’s Health.

In addition to receiving bipartisan support, the bill also has bipartisan sponsorship, with two Republican men and two Democratic women leading the legislation.

“We feel this is a very, very important bill,” said bill sponsor Sen. Jim Smallwood, R-Parker. “When I was talking to members of my caucus, they were concerned about two items: immunity from what and for what witnessed offenses. This is very limited.”

Under the bill, victims would receive immunity from prosecution-related charges when reporting crimes including human trafficking, stalking, kidnapping, assault and murder.

Rep. Brianna Titone, D-Arvada, led the drafting of the bill. Titone said she started working on the bill last year after her friend, Pasha Ripley, told her about when she was brutally beaten and raped by a client while Ripley was a sex worker.

“The last thing he said as he walked out the door was, ‘Who are you going to tell? What are you going to do?’ Because if I go to the police, it’s very likely that I would be arrested,” Ripley said while testifying in support of the bill during a committee meeting.

The bill will now be sent to Gov. Jared Polis for final consideration in the coming weeks.