Child sex trafficking penalties in California to get harsher. Modesto lawmakers in support
Human trafficking of minors would become a serious felony in California under a bill that cleared final hurdles in the Legislature last week.
Senate Bill 14 will make sex trafficking of a minor a strike under the state’s three strikes law, qualifying the criminal case for enhanced sentencing.
The bill authored by Sen. Shannon Grove, R-Bakersfield, originally failed in an Assembly committee earlier this year, creating an uproar before the summer recess in July. Assemblyman Juan Alanis, R-Modesto, helped pushed for a second vote before the Public Safety Committee and it received unanimous approval on the Assembly floor this month.
The state Senate concurred with Assembly amendments to the bill last week. The human trafficking legislation requires a signature from Gov. Gavin Newsom.
“This bill should not be a controversial issue,” Alanis said in a recent statement. “Our number one goal as a society, as a legislature, as Californians and as Americans should be to protect our children.”
Alanis and Modesto-area lawmakers Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil and Assemblyman Heath Flora were among numerous co-authors of the bipartisan bill.
In his first year in the Legislature, Alanis wrote five bills that made it to the governor’s desk in Sacramento.
He introduced Assembly Bill 243 to strengthen privacy protection for child abduction victims. Another piece of legislation (AB 256) would assign a priority for college registration to first responders.
His other bills include AB 355, streamlining rifle training standards and regulations for law enforcement officers, and AB 1074, with protections for California’s horse racing industry.
Newsom already signed an Alanis bill called the Nevaeh Youth Sports Safety Act (AB 1467). Starting in January 2027, the legislation will require youth sports organizations to ensure access to an automated external defibrillator for its athletes during official practices or matches.
The Modesto Republican represents most of Stanislaus County and part of Merced County.
This story was originally published September 18, 2023 at 12:40 PM.
