A bill by Senator Shannon Grove that would add human trafficking as a strike under the Three Strikes Law moves forward.
Senator Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) released the following statement on the passage of Senate Bill 14 from the Assembly Appropriations Committee with minor amendments.
“I want to thank the Assembly Appropriations Committee members who stood today in defense of the victims of child sex trafficking and voted to let SB 14 out of committee. The amendment affirms what is already in statute to ensure victims of human trafficking are protected. This bill has strong bipartisan support with 64 coauthors from both parties and both houses. Protecting victims of child sex trafficking should not be a partisan issue. Today is a victory for every survivor. I am confident most members of the Assembly want to vote for this bill, and thanks to today’s vote they will have a chance. However, the fight to make the human trafficking of a child a serious felony is not yet finished and I urge every Californian to stay engaged until the bill is signed into law.”
Under the bill, SB 14, which would include sex trafficking of minors in the lists of crimes that are defined as serious under California law, making the crime a strike under the Three Strikes law.
It was approved in the State Senate by a 40-0 vote, only to be blocked in the Assembly Public Safety Committee before Democrats on the committee were shamed for their vote and “no votes on record”. When the bill was first rejected by the Assembly Public Safety Committee, Democrats in that committee received extreme backlash from local, state and national figures who questioned why those on the committee would reject a measure that had received unanimous support up to that point.
SB 14 was carefully crafted to meet concerns of previous legislative efforts and received unanimous support in the State Senate as it passed 40 to 0 out of the upper house of the Legislature.
“In the end, my Democrat colleagues in the Assembly Public Safety Committee did the right thing and passed SB 14 that will make sure repeat offenders of child sex trafficking are held accountable,” said Senate Minority Leader Brian W. Jones (R-San Diego). “If it were not for the extraordinary pushback from figures around the state and nation, I fear the Democrats’ one-party rule and some of their radical ideologies would have prevailed. I’m grateful for the efforts of Senator Grove who has been a fearless leader on this issue and to my Senate Democrat colleagues who saw the need for this measure.”
“It’s taken days of public shaming for Democrats to do the right thing, but thanks to Republican pressure, we’re seeing progress,” said Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher (Yuba City). “The choice here is clear: child sex traffickers or victims. Anyone who fails to support SB 14 is choosing the traffickers.”
Senate Bill 14 will next be heard by the full Assembly sometime before the legislature adjourns for the year on September 14.
This measure would include sex trafficking of minors on the lists of crimes that are defined as serious under California law, making the crime a strike under the Three Strikes law. SB 14 is currently in the Assembly Appropriations Committee’s suspense file and the next deadline to move the bill forward is Friday, September 1.
The bill has had quite the
Previous Stories:
- Aug 16: Senator Grove’s Human Trafficking Bill Placed on Suspense
- July 13: Major Victory for Child Sex Trafficking Victims as Assembly Committee Reverses Course and Passes SB 14
- July 11: Bill to Fight Human Trafficking is Voted Down in the Assembly Public Safety Committee
- July 11: Human Trafficking Bill Killed by Assembly Public Safety Committee
- May 26: Grove’s Human Trafficking Bill Passed Senate Floor Unanimously
- April 26: Human Trafficking Bill Passes Senate Public Safety Committee
- Dec 6: Senator Shannon Grove Aims to Strengthen Human Trafficking Penalties
