Gov. Linda Lingle has signed a bill into law that targets people who repeatedly solicit prostitutes.

The new law makes the third solicitation of a prostitute offense a misdemeanor. Any subsequent convictions would also be a misdemeanor.

State Rep. Karl Rhoads, who sponsored the bill, says the new law will reduce prostitution and make their customers think twice.

Rhoads, who lives in Chinatown, says prostitution is accompanied by drug use and violence that have plagued downtown Honolulu and Chinatown for years.

The law expires in 2010.