California pushes child trafficking bill forward following Newsom’s call for Democrats to revive the legislation.

California Democrats Pass Bill to Strengthen Punishments for Child Sex Traffickers

California Democrats took a significant step on Thursday by passing a bill aimed at imposing stricter penalties on child sex traffickers. This move comes after Governor Gavin Newsom (D-CA) urged the revival of the legislation following its initial failure.

The Assembly Public Safety Committee faced criticism when all six Democratic members abstained from voting to advance Senate Bill 14 on Tuesday. The bill sought to establish harsher consequences for repeat offenders, rendering them ineligible for early release from prison.

Emergency Meeting Called After Governor’s Concerns

Concerned about the lack of progress on the bill, Governor Newsom called for an emergency meeting on Thursday. He expressed his seriousness about the matter, stating, “I want to understand exactly what happened yesterday (in the committee). I take it very seriously,” as reported by the Associated Press.

Newsom reached out to Republican state Senator Shannon Grove to discuss the legislation, which had been in development for three years. He emphasized his personal investment in the issue, saying, “It’s an area I care deeply about. I have since my time as mayor, as a supervisor working with then-District Attorney Kamala Harris. I appreciate Shannon Grove’s efforts on this and wanted to make sure she knew that today, and we’ll be following up and will have more to say shortly.”

Four Democrats and two Republican committee members voted in favor of advancing the bill. It will now proceed to the Assembly Appropriations Committee for further consideration before being presented to the full body.