FRESNO, Calif. — A bill by California state Sen. Shannon Grove aims to make sex trafficking of minors a serious crime under California law, and remains in limbo in the legislature.
Senate Bill 14 would make sex trafficking of minors a serious crime eligible under the Three Strikes Law. That's a law that imposes a life sentence in prison for a defendant who has two prior convictions for violent crimes listed under that law.
In July, the bill was voted down by the Assembly Public Safety Committee before being picked up again following public outcry.
This month, as legislators returned to Sacramento, the bill was expected to go through the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
On Wednesday, Grove’s office reported the bill was placed in suspense, which is a process bills undergo when they have a potential fiscal impact of more than $150,000.
The bill will remain on suspense file until September 1. The committee will then consider whether it should pass or be retained.
Grove, who represents areas of the Sierra Nevada and San Joaquin Valley, released a statement saying “there is no price tag that can be placed on a victim of human trafficking, especially a child.”
Grove referenced a sting operation in Bakersfield announced on Monday that led to the arrest of 22 people accused of seeking to sexually exploit children. During the four-day operation, officers posed as minors on social media and offered sex for money. Agents also rescued three human trafficking victims during the four-day operation.
