A California bill that would increase penalties for child sex traffickers could die before it gets a vote due to concerns from state finance officials about the cost of adding more inmates to prisons.
The California Legislature last week placed Senate Bill 1414 on the “hold file” for its Aug. 7 meeting, a list of bills expected to cost the state big money. The bill will either move forward without public debate at a special hearing on Thursday or die.
“When I pushed for this bill to prevent child trafficking and trafficking in California, I never dreamed it would be this difficult,” Republican state Sen. Shannon Grove, the bill’s lead sponsor and director, told Fox News Digital.
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“The bill is a big step forward for the state,” Republican Sen. Shannon Grove of California told lawmakers during an Aug. 7 hearing about Senate Bill 1414. (California Assembly Appropriations Committee)
The bill would allow prosecutors to bring felony charges against adults accused of soliciting a minor. If the minor is under 16, or under 18 but a victim of human trafficking, the defendant could face up to three years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
The bill would require adults who have been convicted multiple times of abducting a minor who is 10 years or more younger than them to register annually as sex offenders. Under current law, abducting or purchasing a minor for sex is a misdemeanor punishable by a minimum of two days in jail and up to one year and/or a fine.
At a hearing before the Assembly Appropriations Committee last week, a representative from the California Department of Finance spoke out against the bill.
“California has successfully stayed below court-ordered prison population limits and made progress toward closing prisons, saving hundreds of millions of dollars annually,” Treasury Secretary Millie Yang told lawmakers. “But growing (prison) population threatens the state’s ability to right-size California’s prison system.”
The annual costs associated with adding one inmate to a jail can range from $10,000 to tens of thousands of dollars, she said.
“We also note that a similar bill to expand the list of people who must register as sex offenders is estimated to cost the Department of Justice hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Yang said.
Grove and other lawmakers have dismissed financial concerns, arguing the potential costs are insignificant compared to combating a major statewide problem.
California Governor Gavin Newsom speaks at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California on May 2, 2023. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images)
“We’ve spent $24 billion on our homeless population, and it’s getting worse,” Grove said of California’s efforts to address the state’s growing homeless population. “And we’re concerned about spending tens of thousands of dollars to jail individuals who buy children for sex?”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom supports the bill, his office said, pointing to a social media post from Monday in response to a question from Fox News Digital.
“It is standard practice for the Treasury Department to oppose bills that have fiscal impacts if not addressed in the budget,” the post read. “This is not a position on policy or merits. The Governor supports this bill.”
California Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher said the issue of child sex trafficking shouldn’t be a “money issue.”
“This should be a right or wrong question,” he told Fox News Digital, noting that California has spent billions to solve its homeless problem and that its high-speed rail project is ballooning in cost. “The government is fully funding all of these things, but they don’t have the money to send child buyers to prison. If that’s the case, then their priorities are seriously wrong.”
California Department of Finance official Millie Yang spoke out against SB 1414 at a state Assembly hearing on August 7. Gov. Gavin Newsom supports the bill, his office said. (California Assembly Appropriations Committee)
He also urged Newsom to take responsibility as the state’s executive director and pursue similar policies.
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Grove said in addition to financial concerns, he was forced to amend SB 1414 by the Democratic-controlled Senate Public Safety Committee.
As a result, 16- and 17-year-olds were excluded from protection, she said, because prosecuting perpetrators requires proof that they are victims of trafficking.
Fox News Digital reached out to the committee’s chair, state Sen. Aisha Wahab.
