California Committee Forces ‘Hostile’ Amendments on Bipartisan Child Sex Solicitation Bill

‘I am not willing to amend the language,’ the bill author said. ‘I’m not willing to look these victims in the face and tell them their stories don’t matter.’

The California State Capitol building in Sacramento, Calif., on April 18, 2022. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

A proposal to strengthen penalties for those caught soliciting a child for sex in California was amended by force during a contentious hearing of the state Senate’s Public Safety Committee on April 16.

At issue is Senate Bill 1414, authored by state Sen. Shannon Grove and co-authored by a bipartisan cohort, which seeks to make such a felony punishable by up to four years in prison with fines as high as $25,000.