Republican state Senator Shannon Grove of California is outraged and disappointed by her Democratic colleagues for weakening a crucial bill that aimed to protect minors from human trafficking. The amendments made by the Democratic lawmakers significantly reduced the penalties for those who buy and engage in sexual activities with minors, earning strong criticism from Grove.
During the hearing, Grove was shocked and appalled by the Democrats’ actions to forcefully pass these amendments without her approval. The survivors of sexual abuse also felt violated and hurt as they watched the events unfold. Grove questioned the Democrats’ motives, as there seemed to be no rational explanation for their actions.
Grove emphasized the severity of the issue in California, where the state ranks fifth highest in human trafficking cases. The majority of these cases involve sex trafficking, which accounts for 89% of all human trafficking cases in the state. Despite this alarming statistic, the Democrats continue to push for legislation that weakens protections for these vulnerable minors.
In 2020, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsome signed a bill authored by Senator Scott Wiener, who is also a member of the committee that voted in favor of the amendments to Grove’s bill. This bill relaxed sex offender registry requirements, causing concern for the safety of minors in the state. A similar amendment was also made to Grove’s bill, which removed the requirement for offenders to register as sex offenders if the perpetrator was less than 10 years older than the victim.
Senator Wiener did not respond to inquiries regarding the amendments, raising questions about his intentions. Another Democratic senator, Craig Bradford, also voted in favor of the amendments, stating his hesitation in creating new felonies and their potential impact on communities of color. However, Bradford previously supported a different bill proposed by Grove that aimed to make the selling of a minor for sex a felony.
During the hearing, Bradford expressed his concern that the offender may not have known the victim’s age at the time of the crime. In response, Grove proposed an amendment to make the sex offender registry requirement only for repeat offenders, but the senators did not accept her revisions. Grove expressed her disappointment in the Democrats’ actions, stating that they negotiated in bad faith and ultimately weakened the bill.
Today, the Senate Public Safety Committee refused to pass my bill to send child sex buyers to prison.
Instead of making the buying of kids a felony with prison time, the committee forced me to take amendments I didn’t agree with and watered down my bill to allow a fine or…
— Senator Shannon Grove (@ShannonGroveCA) April 16, 2024
The bill will now go through the Appropriations Committee before being presented to the state Senate. Grove and her team are working to strengthen the bill, but she believes that the Democrats’ actions will only embolden sex traffickers. The amendments, according to Grove, send a message to buyers that they have a free pass to engage in sexual activities with minors. She argues that this will only encourage perpetrators to continue their actions, as the consequences remain minimal.
Grove stands firm in her belief that buying sex from a child should be a felony, and she cannot understand the rationale behind the Democrats’ actions. She believes that these amendments will not only harm innocent minors but also send a dangerous message to sex traffickers. Grove is determined to strengthen the bill and protect the children of California, but she urges the Democrats to rethink their stance and put the well-being of minors first.