Senator Shannon Grove reacts to 16 and 17-year-olds being removed from child sex trafficking bill

Today, as a principal co-author of AB 379 (Krell), Senator Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) issued the following statement in reaction to the Assembly Public Safety Committee removing protections for 16 and 17-year-olds from sex buyers:

“AB 379 faced the same fate as SB 1414: take out the felony charges for those who purchase 16 and 17 year old kids for sex, or the bill is dead. This isn’t keeping a ‘deal’ it’s an ultimatum from legislators failing to protect older teens from sex buyers, and it’s unacceptable. I’m glad AB 379 is advancing, but the Assembly Public Safety Committee should have kept the original language. We must keep fighting to protect ALL children and hold exploiters accountable."