Today, Senator Shannon Grove, representing Bakersfield and serving as a principal co-author of Assembly Bill 379 alongside Krell, responded to the recent amendments made by the Assembly Public Safety Committee. The committee decided to exclude provisions aimed at safeguarding 16 and 17-year-olds from sex buyers in the bill designed to combat child sex trafficking.
Regarding this development, Senator Grove stated, “AB 379 faced the same fate as SB 1414: take out the felony charges for those who purchase 16 and 17-year old kids for sex, or the bill is dead. This isn’t keeping a ‘deal’ it’s an ultimatum from legislators failing to protect older teens from sex buyers, and it’s unacceptable.”
Senator Grove further expressed satisfaction that AB 379 was making progress but criticized the decision of the Assembly Public Safety Committee to alter the bill’s text. She maintained, “I’m glad AB 379 is advancing, but the Assembly Public Safety Committee should have kept the original language. We must keep fighting to protect ALL children and hold exploiters accountable.”
This legislative action has sparked discussions on protective measures for older teens within the scope of sex trafficking laws.
