XPost: alt.activism.children.molesters, alt.california, alt.politics.democrats XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, sac.politics

California lawmakers in the Assembly Public Safety Committee are
blocking a proposal that would make it a felony to purchase 16 and
17-year-old children for sex.

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.

https://www.kcra.com/article/california-lawmakers-block-ab-379-sex-traffi cking/64614165

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