A bill targeting consumers of the child sex trafficking industry was unanimously approved by California lawmakers.
Assembly Bill 379 passed on July 7 with a 6–0 vote in the Senate Appropriations Committee, which focuses on the cost to taxpayers of new bills.
AB 379, which was introduced in February, specifically targets the buyers of commercial sex. It would authorize felony punishment for solicitation of any minor by an adult who is more than three years older than the minor, as well as a misdemeanor penalty for loitering with intent to purchase commercial sex.
“There is a real human cost to human trafficking and exploitation in our community,” Assemblyman Nick Shultz, who represents California’s 44th district, said during the hearing….