SENATOR SLAMS DEMS FOR ASSAULTING VICTIMS AGAIN WITH DANGEROUS AMENDMENTS TO CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING BILL
Daphne Moon April 22, 2024 0 2 min read

Republican state Senator Shannon Grove of California is outraged and disappointed by her Democratic colleagues for weakening a crucial bill that aimed to protect minors from human trafficking. The amendments made by the Democratic lawmakers significantly reduced the penalties for those who buy and engage in sexual activities with minors, earning strong criticism from Grove.

During the hearing, Grove was shocked and appalled by the Democrats’ actions to forcefully pass these amendments without her approval. The survivors of sexual abuse also felt violated and hurt as they watched the events unfold. Grove questioned the Democrats’ motives, as there seemed to be no rational explanation for their actions.

Grove emphasized the severity of the issue in California, where the state ranks fifth highest in human trafficking cases. The majority of these cases involve sex trafficking, which accounts for 89% of all human trafficking cases in the state. Despite this alarming statistic, the Democrats continue to push for legislation that weakens protections for these vulnerable minors.
In 2020, Democratic Governor Gavin Newsome signed a bill authored by Senator Scott Wiener, who is also a member of the committee that voted in favor of the amendments to Grove’s bill. This bill relaxed sex offender registry requirements, causing concern for the safety of minors in the state. A similar amendment was also made to Grove’s bill, which removed the requirement for offenders to register as sex offenders if the perpetrator was less than 10 years older than the victim.
Senator Wiener did not respond to inquiries regarding the amendments, raising questions about his intentions. Another Democratic senator, Craig Bradford, also voted in favor of the amendments, stating his hesitation in creating new felonies and their potential impact on communities of color. However, Bradford previously supported a different bill proposed by Grove that aimed to make the selling of a minor for sex a felony.