EN
FR
Assemblyman Nick Shultz, the Democratic chairman of the committee, confirmed AB 379, a bill to crack down on the consumers of the child sex trafficking industry, will move forward on Tuesday, but without the proposed felony charge. It’s the latest development in a debate that has been underway for more than a year at the state capitol as lawmakers target criminals who buy children for sex.
Last year, Republican State Senator Shannon Grove first introduced the proposal to make it a felony to buy a child under the age of 18 for sex. Before the proposal, it had been a misdemeanor crime in the state.
Grove and other lawmakers in the Senate and Assembly last year struck what Democrats called “a deal” and Grove called “an ultimatum” to allow the felony charge to only apply to those who purchase children under the age of 16 for sex. For those who purchase 16 and 17-year-olds, those criminals could face either a misdemeanor or felony, leaving it up to local prosecutors to decide. The law also requires the older teens to prove they’re being trafficked.
Last year’s deal is now coming back to haunt this year’s proposal, written by Democratic Assemblymember Maggy Krell, who spent two decades working on trafficking cases for the California Department of Justice before being elected to the Assembly this year.
Both Shultz and Grove confirmed to KCRA 3 last year’s deal is keeping this year’s proposal from moving forward.
“It’s completely evil,” Grove said.
“My perspective as chair, there was a carefully crafted deal last year,” Shultz said. “We’re not saying no, but what we’re saying is if we’re going to be thoughtful policy makers, we really need to dive deep into this issue.”
Krell filed the measure this year, arguing that under state law right now, harsher penalties for child traffickers apply when the victim is 18. She has been saying the law should be consistent for the buyers, too.
“It’s a disgrace,” Krell told KCRA 3 when asked about what happened to her bill.
“I’ve been doing this for 20 years, and I’m not going to quit now. And I am going to bring this part of this bill back every year until I get the books to protect children. That’s what I’m going to do,” Krell said.
She said her bill was pulled from the Assembly Public Safety Committee’s agenda last week after expecting it to be heard on Tuesday.
“I was told that it was pulled and the only way I could get it back on the agenda is if parts of the bill would be blocked,” Krell said.
| VIDEO BELOW | Assemblymember Shultz responds to questions about AB 379
Krell has decided to move forward with her gutted bill in Tuesday’s hearing, because she says some important parts are staying intact.
The bill rolls back parts of a 2022 California law that decriminalized loitering for prostitution. It reinstates penalties for those who loiter with the intent to purchase anyone, or whom she considers “creeps in cars.” Those criminals would face a misdemeanor and pay up to a $1,000 fine that would go into a fund for trafficking survivors.
“It’s still a really hard bill, I’m hustling to even get the votes on this with the hearing tomorrow,” she said.
From kcra.com
Your Tax Free Donations Are Appreciated and Help Fund our Volunteer Website
Disclaimer: We at Prepare for Change (PFC) bring you information that is not offered by the mainstream news, and therefore may seem controversial. The opinions, views, statements, and/or information we present are not necessarily promoted, endorsed, espoused, or agreed to by Prepare for Change, its leadership Council, members, those who work with PFC, or those who read its content. However, they are hopefully provocative. Please use discernment! Use logical thinking, your own intuition and your own connection with Source, Spirit and Natural Laws to help you determine what is true and what is not. By sharing information and seeding dialogue, it is our goal to raise consciousness and awareness of higher truths to free us from enslavement of the matrix in this material realm.
