California Democrats fail to pass bill criminalizing child trafficking.

California Assembly Blocks‌ Bill to ‍Combat Child Sex Trafficking

Members of California’s overwhelmingly Democratic⁣ State Assembly have halted the progress of a crucial bill aimed at⁤ making child sex trafficking a serious​ felony. This​ decision has left the bill ⁣in what one Republican lawmaker describes as “legislative purgatory.”

The Assembly’s Appropriations‌ Committee recently ​moved the bill to⁤ what is ⁢known as “the suspense file,” a‌ parliamentary procedure that allows ‌certain bills to‌ be‌ quietly discarded without any public debate or discussion, as reported by Sacramento’s CapRadio.

Former ⁢state senator Melissa Melendez (R.) provided an even more blunt definition, referring to ⁤this​ procedure​ as “legislative purgatory.”

In order for the bill to progress, it⁣ must now pass ⁢a closed-door ⁤hearing with influential legislators. ​According to a former⁣ lawmaker who spoke to CapRadio, the appropriations chair and top leaders in each legislative ⁣chamber hold the final say on which bills move forward and which⁣ ones ⁢are held back.

The bill, introduced by Republican state senator Shannon Grove last ‍year, seeks ⁢to classify ‍the⁢ trafficking ‍of children and teenagers under⁣ the age of ​18 as⁤ a serious felony on par with crimes such as murder, arson, and ⁤rape, as reported by the​ Washington Free Beacon. While the⁤ bill received bipartisan ⁢support in ⁢the ‍Senate, it was ​blocked by six Democrats ​in the Assembly.

However, ‌facing significant ⁢political ​pressure,⁤ including⁢ criticism from local media, those Democrats​ abruptly reversed their position⁤ just two‌ days later.

Now, the Appropriations ⁣Committee claims that the‍ bill would have a fiscal‍ impact ⁤of over $150,000, ⁤which has ‌prompted the suspense ⁣file process.

Grove ⁢strongly criticized those who would put a “price tag” on the lives of victims⁤ of‍ human trafficking, especially children. In a press release,‌ she‌ stated, “Selling a ​child‌ to be raped over and over again is a crime so ⁣grotesque, immoral, and barbaric that it should be prevented and stopped at any cost.”

Grove also highlighted the⁣ unfortunate reality ​that California ​is ⁤one of the leading states for⁣ human trafficking in the United States, with thousands of ⁤individuals, ​many of them minors,‍ being ​subjected to sexual ‍and labor‌ exploitation each year.