An effort to combat child sex trafficking in California has been weakened. State Assemblywoman Maggy Krell, a Democrat, agreed to remove a clause from Assembly Bill 379 that states buyers of 16 and 17-year-olds for sex would face felony charges, leaving the solicitation of those minors by adults to be treated as a misdemeanor.
California Assembly Republicans quickly criticized Democrats over the change.
Assemblyman Nick Shultz confirmed the bill will proceed without automatic felony charges for these offenses. Senator Shannon Grove, who authored the original bill, criticized the change as “completely evil,” arguing it makes older teens more vulnerable and lets sex buyers evade consequences.
