State Sen. Shannon Grove’s bill to make prostitution of a minor a felony passed the state Senate on a vote of 36-0, but with amendments that weakened protections for teens aged 16 to 17 and gave judges sentencing discretion.
“The crime of purchasing a child, of any age, for sex in the state of California should be a prison felony,” said Grove, a Republican from Bakersfield. “I am incredibly disappointed in the Senate Pro Tem and Senate leadership for, once again, passing on an opportunity to restore amendments to the bill and stand up for all of California’s children.”
“We must restore this bill in the Assembly to protect every child in the state of California from the horrific crime of sex trafficking,” she said.
Prior to the floor vote on Thursday, the Public Safety Committee made amendments to Senate Bill 1414 that in Grove’s view significantly weakened the legislation. Those changes were:
- Soliciting children 15 and under for sex can only be charged as either a misdemeanor or a felony.
- Soliciting children 16 and 17 years old is only punishable as a misdemeanor.
- A felony conviction carries possible but not mandatory jail time.
- A conviction does not automatically require registration as a sex offender.
Led by Sen. Scott Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat, the committee amended the bill because they considered it overly broad and were concerned about unintended consequences.