California state senator introduces bill to make soliciting a minor for sex a felony

LOS ANGELES - Even though California leads the nation in human trafficking reported cases, soliciting a minor for sex is only a misdemeanor in California. 

State Senator Shannon Grove is working hard to change that. 

Last year, she introduced a bill to prosecute human traffickers. Although her fellow lawmakers resisted, the bill passed because of public outcry. 

Grove is once again facing opposition to a new bill, SB 1414, which would have made soliciting sex with a minor a felony punishable by up to four years in prison. Plus, the offender would have had to register as a sex offender and pay a fine of $25,000. Senate Public Safety Committee members forced amendments that watered down the bill. 

Senator Scott Wiener of San Francisco and Senator Nancy Skinner of Oakland felt SB 1414 was too broad and harsh. 

"This bill is incredibly overbroad in my opinion, and we could have just said and in good faith have tried to work through this," said Wiener,

Human trafficking survivor Odessa Perkins, who has worked with Senator Grove on drafting human trafficking legislation, says the main concern for legislators who oppose SB 1414 boils down to overcrowding in the jails and disproportionate representation. 

"I'm here to say that if you're black, brown, orange, green, purple or tan. If you're buying a child for sex, you need to be in jail. And it shouldn't matter if the jails are overcrowded," she said.

Under the forced amendments, solicitation of 16 and 17-year-olds will remain a misdemeanor. The bill now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee.