After Democratic lawmakers forced amendments on a bill to make soliciting a child for sex a felony, fellow Democratic Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman blasted those responsible for changing the bill while debating the measure on the Senate floor May 23.
At issue is Senate Bill 1414, authored by Republican Sen. Shannon Grove, which as originally written would make soliciting a child for sex a felony. Amendments forced by the Senate’s Public Safety Committee watered down the proposal to exclude 16- and 17-year-olds, made the crime a “wobbler”—where prosecutors can charge offenders with a misdemeanor or a felony depending on the circumstances—and required a 10-year age gap between the offender and the victim to qualify for prosecution.
