Ashley Zavala, a Capitol Correspondent, said Tuesday that Assembly leadership changed their approach as a result of public and GOP campaign pressure.
Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) and Public Safety Chair Nick Schultz acknowledged in a joint statement issued Tuesday afternoon that the bill will reinstate the original felony language.
Again, soliciting or purchasing sex from a 16 or 17-year-old will be a felony under the amended AB 379.
Update on #AB379: Goal has always been to hammer the creeps who are buying teens for sex and create more support for victims. New version accomplishes these goals, and makes it a felony for a grown man to buy a child for sex. I appreciate everyone’s work on this bill,…
— Maggy Krell (@maggykrell) May 6, 2025
One exemption exists: adults who are younger than the kid by three years will not be punished with a crime.The offense would continue to be categorized as a misdemeanor in these situations.
This condition appears to answer issues about proportionality in sentencing while still increasing consequences for older adult offenders.
Rivas and Schultz also declared that Krell’s name would be added back to the bill that she had initially sponsored.
