The bill creators pointed to “anecdotal” evidence of abuse and violence increasing after FOSTA-SESTA passed, and noted that the existing law was particularly harsh for marginalized groups (such as the LGBTQ community) that were more likely to feel pressure to trade sex for food and money.
Representatives Barbara Lee and Ro Khanna introduced the bill in the House, while Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden brought it to the Senate. Co-sponsors include well-known figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Rashida Tlaib in the House, and Bernie Sanders in the Senate.
It’s not certain the Act will get far. As you might have noticed, neither the House nor Senate versions of the bill are bipartisan. There’s no guarantee both versions of the bill will pass their respective votes, and it seems unlikely that President Trump would sign the reconciled Act into law when he made a big deal of signing FOSTA-SESTA. Still, it’s apparent that at least some members of Congress are skeptical of the ongoing attempt to push sex work off the internet.