California lawmakers in the Assembly Public Safety Committee are blocking a proposal that would make it a felony to purchase 16 and 17-year-old children for sex.
Assemblyman Nick Shultz, the Democratic chairman of the committee, confirmed AB 379, a bill to crack down on the consumers of the child sex trafficking industry, will move forward on Tuesday, but without the proposed felony charge.
It’s the latest development in a debate that has been underway for more than a year at the state capitol as lawmakers target criminals who buy children for sex.
Last year, Republican State Senator Shannon Grove first introduced the proposal to make it a felony to buy a child under the age of 18 for sex. Before the proposal, it had been a misdemeanor crime in the state.
