California’s legislative battle intensifies as far-left “social justice” groups oppose a bill that seeks to strengthen penalties for buying or grooming a child for sex.
Under current state law, such an act is simply a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in county jail, a minimum of two days in jail and a potential $10,000 fine. Additionally, offenders are required to register as a Level 1 sex offender for at least ten years.
Republican state Sen. Shannon Grove is leading the push with SB 1414 to raise the misdemeanor to a felony.
Senate Bill 1414 (SB 1414) was introduced last month to increase penalties for child sex trafficking. The bill would make it a crime to solicit or engage in commercial sex with a minor, and criminals could face two to four years in prison and a fine of up to $25,000.
Senator Grove’s rationale stems from conversations with survivors of sex trafficking, who highlight the need to target buyers to effectively combat the problem.
“A lot of survivors of the experience said you have to go after the buyer, it’s just a misdemeanor and I said there’s no way,” Grove told KCRA 3. “I thought they were wrong.”
The proposed law also seeks to eliminate the requirement that convicts must or should have known the age of the minor. It also seeks to extend the sex offender registration requirement for buyers to ten years.
Grove is already facing resistance from fellow lawmakers wary of increasing prison sentences. The Senate Public Safety Committee’s analysis reveals clear opposition from criminal justice reform groups such as Californians for Safety and Justice, the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights and the California Public Defenders Association.
According to KCRA 3, this is not the first time a bill like this has been brought to the state capitol; Similar efforts have faltered since 2014.
The Senate Public Safety Committee is scheduled to hear the bill on Tuesday, with Grove looking to build on the momentum of last year’s successful bipartisan bill that classified child sex trafficking as a serious crime under California’s three strikes law.