{"id":2221575,"date":"2024-04-15T16:52:03","date_gmt":"2024-04-15T20:52:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/buying-child-sex-is-only-a-misdemeanor-in-california-this-bill-would-change-that\/"},"modified":"2024-04-15T16:57:26","modified_gmt":"2024-04-15T20:57:26","slug":"buying-child-sex-is-only-a-misdemeanor-in-california-this-bill-would-change-that","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/buying-child-sex-is-only-a-misdemeanor-in-california-this-bill-would-change-that\/","title":{"rendered":"A new bill in California aims to change the offense of buying child sex to a more serious crime"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">38<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbuying-child-sex-is-only-a-misdemeanor-in-california-this-bill-would-change-that%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2221575&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A new California bill aims to upgrade \u2064the offense of purchasing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/anti-sex-trafficking-advocates-slam-twitter-on-heels-of-bombshell-lawsuit-from-teen-victim\/\" title=\"Anti-Sex Trafficking Advocates Slam Twitter On Heels Of Bombshell Lawsuit From Teen Victim\">child sex<\/a> \u200dfrom a\u2063 misdemeanor to a felony, with penalties including up to four years in prison and a\u200d $25,000 fine. Sponsored by Senator Shannon Grove, the bipartisan bill faces challenges in the legislature but seeks to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vp-harris-tells-illegal-migrants-do-not-come\/\" title=\"VP Harris Tells Illegal Migrants: 'Do Not Come'\">combat human trafficking<\/a> by targeting buyers more \u2062aggressively than previous efforts. The \u2062new California bill, spearheaded by Senator Shannon\u2062 Grove, seeks to elevate the offense of buying child sex from a misdemeanor to\u200d a\u2063 felony.\u200c The proposed penalties include up to four years \u200bin prison and a $25,000 fine. While facing hurdles \u2063in the legislature, this\u2062 bipartisan initiative aims to combat human trafficking by cracking down \u2062on buyers more effectively than past endeavors.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p>A California bill working its way through the legislature would make the crime of buying child sex a serious felony, replacing current statute in the far-left state that treats soliciting a minor for sex as a misdemeanor.<\/p>\n<p>A bipartisan <a href=\"https:\/\/leginfo.legislature.ca.gov\/faces\/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB1414\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">bill<\/a> would raise solicitation of a minor from a misdemeanor to a felony punishable by up to four years in prison, and a fine of up to $25,000. The bill would also require a person convicted of soliciting a minor to register as a sex offender for 10 years.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/sr12.senate.ca.gov\/content\/sen-grove-introduces-bi-partisan-measure-continue-fight-against-human-trafficking-0#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIt%20takes%20two%20criminals%20to,are%20purchasing%20sex%20from%20children.\">measure<\/a>, introduced by Republican State Senator Shannon Grove in February and co-sponsored by two Democrats, is scheduled for a committee vote on Tuesday, but it faces an uphill battle for passage.<\/p>\n<p>As of Thursday, the new bill did not have the votes to make it out of committee. Critics are concerned it could target minorities, she explained, but criticized that point of view.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRed, yellow, black, or white, you should be in prison,\u201d Grove said during a phone interview with The Daily Wire on Thursday, arguing that putting child sex buyers behind bars for two years will keep them off the streets and prevent them from soliciting more children, at least during that period.<\/p>\n<p>She said she is working on negotiating with her colleagues without giving up the meat of the bill. Last year, Grove was able to convince a skeptical Democrat-controlled legislature to pass a similar bill that reclassified child sex trafficking from a misdemeanor to a major felony, establishing harsher criminal penalties for traffickers. That bill went into effect on January 1.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats in the legislature were forced to reconsider and support the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/californias-child-sex-trafficking-bill-in-limbo-again-supporters-outraged-after-fiscal-hearing\/\" title=\"California's Child Sex Trafficking Bill remains uncertain, causing outrage among its supporters following a fiscal hearing.\">sex trafficking bill<\/a> after scathing social media backlash criticizing their initial reluctance.<\/p>\n<p>California\u2019s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom voiced support for last year\u2019s bill, saying he personally called Grove about it and was \u201csurprised\u201d when it initially failed to pass the committee vote.<\/p>\n<p>Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D) also said at the time that the issue was \u201csomething that we are addressing and it\u2019s something we are going to get right.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Neither Newsom nor Rivas responded to a request for comment on whether they would support Grove\u2019s new bill targeting buyers.<\/p>\n<p>Before Grove\u2019s successful bill last year, lawmakers had <a href=\"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/justice\/2023\/07\/child-trafficking-bill-california-legislature\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tried<\/a> at least nine times since 2007 to reclassify child sex trafficking as a more serious crime.<\/p>\n<p>This year, her focus is the purchasers of child sex, Grove said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to make the solicitation, the person who\u2019s going out there going, \u2018hey little 13-year-old, fourteen-year-old, fifteen-year-old, I want to get that person. I want that person to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/s-c-house-passes-heartbeat-abortion-bill\/\" title=\"S.C. House passes heartbeat abortion bill\">face felony charges<\/a>. That\u2019s what the bill does,\u201d Grove said during her interview with The Daily Wire.<\/p>\n<p>Grove said she spoke to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pornhub-parent-company-denies-reports-that-employees-are-fleeing\/\" title=\"Pornhub Parent Company Denies Reports That Employees Are Fleeing\">sex trafficking survivors<\/a> last year who told her, \u201cYou\u2019ve got to go after the buyers\u201d in order to really crack down on the child sex trade.<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>A group called Exodus Cry, a nonprofit that works to abolish illegal sex trafficking <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/C5jukB9sN-Y\/?igsh=MWQ1ZGUxMzBkMA%3D%3D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">posted<\/a> a viral video to Instagram last week that featured people reacting with shock and disgust to hearing that buying child sex is only a misdemeanor in California.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media\" style=\"background: #FFF;border: 0;border-radius: 3px;margin: 1px;max-width: 540px;min-width: 326px;padding: 0;width: calc(100% - 2px)\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/C5jukB9sN-Y\/?utm_source=ig_embed&#038;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\">\n<div style=\"padding: 16px\">\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;align-items: center\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 40px;margin-right: 14px;width: 40px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 100px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 60px\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 19% 0\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: block;height: 50px;margin: 0 auto 12px;width: 50px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding-top: 8px\">\n<div style=\"color: #3897f0;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;font-size: 14px;font-style: normal;font-weight: 550;line-height: 18px\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: row;margin-bottom: 14px;align-items: center\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px;flex-grow: 0;margin-right: 14px;margin-left: 2px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 50%;height: 12.5px;width: 12.5px\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 50%;flex-grow: 0;height: 20px;width: 20px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 2px solid transparent;border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4;border-bottom: 2px solid transparent\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto\">\n<div style=\"width: 0px;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-right: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4;flex-grow: 0;height: 12px;width: 16px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 0;height: 0;border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4;border-left: 8px solid transparent\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex;flex-direction: column;flex-grow: 1;justify-content: center;margin-bottom: 24px\">\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;margin-bottom: 6px;width: 224px\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f4f4f4;border-radius: 4px;flex-grow: 0;height: 14px;width: 144px\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p style=\"color: #c9c8cd;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;font-size: 14px;line-height: 17px;margin-bottom: 0;margin-top: 8px;overflow: hidden;padding: 8px 0 7px;text-align: center\"><a style=\"color: #c9c8cd;font-family: Arial,sans-serif;font-size: 14px;font-style: normal;font-weight: normal;line-height: 17px;text-decoration: none\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/C5jukB9sN-Y\/?utm_source=ig_embed&#038;utm_campaign=loading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Exodus Cry (@exoduscry)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>  Helen Taylor, vice president of impact at Exodus Cry argued that eliminating sex trafficking requires going after the demand and implementing proper deterrents.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cFor this to currently be a misdemeanor, and frequently prosecuted as such, reveals an inadequate understanding of how serious of a crime sex trafficking is,\u201d Taylor told The Daily Wire.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe want every child in California to be better protected and receive the justice they deserve should they ever be trafficked and exploited at the hands of a sex buyer,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Taylor urged committee members to vote in favor of the bill on Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur laws send a message about what behaviors we are willing to tolerate. Paying money to abuse a child is something we will not tolerate,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cIt is surely a \u2018no brainer\u2019 to make buying a child for sex a felony in California and if not, we have a serious problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A California bill seeks to elevate buying child sex from a misdemeanor to a serious felony. Currently, the state considers soliciting a minor for sex a misdemeanor. The bipartisan bill proposes increasing solicitation of a minor from a misdemeanor to a felony, carrying significant penalties<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":2221576,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/04\/GettyImages-509930344.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2221575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/04\/GettyImages-509930344.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2221575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2221575"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2221575\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2221576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2221575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2221575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2221575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}