28 September 2014, BeaumontEnterprise.com
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown on Sunday signed into law seven new bills intended to thwart human trafficking.
The bills were mostly uncontroversial and had bipartisan support; they primarily involved enhancements and upgrades to existing laws on human trafficking and youth prostitution.
They included AB1585, by Assemblyman Luis Alejo, a Democrat from Watsonville, allowing courts to expunge prostitution convictions when people are found to be victims of human trafficking. The bill, which passed the Assembly by a 73-0 vote and was sponsored by state Attorney General Kamala Harris, lets defendants who are who are convicted of soliciting prostitution to petition to clear their record if they have evidence they were victims of human trafficking.
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Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said the standards were needed to protect laborers from abuse and human trafficking because many end up in what amounts to indentured servitude because they cannot repay recruitment fees charged to place them in jobs.