The House Judiciary Committee heard extensive testimony on HB 26-1082, the Children Are Not for Sale Act, which would elevate human trafficking of a minor for sexual servitude from a Class 2 to a Class 1 felony with life without parole. After hours of testimony from dozens of supporters and pointed legal objections from the ACLU and public defenders, the committee killed the bill 4-7 before voting to postpone it indefinitely.
Rep. Bottoms and pro-bill witnesses argued that traffickers who receive life sentences cannot reoffend, and that current sentences of as little as 6 years (with early release) signal to traffickers that 'the consequences are survivable' (Carl Roberts). Arianne Frosh of the ACLU countered that 'reports of human trafficking continue to increase even in the face of already steep carceral penalties' and that increasing penalties 'will not curb this behavior.' The Chair cited JBC nonpartisan staff finding that increasing sentence length for already-illegal conduct 'has a minimal deterrent effect on crimes.'
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“When Colorado recognizes the intentional torture of an animal as a Class 4 felony, the deliberate trafficking and exploitation of a child causing profound lifelong harm warrants the strongest level of felony under our elevating this crime reflects its true serious seriousness, prioritizes the protection of children and sends a clear message that exploitation of minors will not be tolerated.”
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Sign in to subscribeThe committee will come to order. Ms. Shipley, please. Please call the roll. Representatives. Bacon. Here. Clifford. Here. Espinosa. Here. Flinell. Here. Garcia. Here. Kelty. Here. Slough. Excused. Soper. Here. It's okay. Excused. Carter. Present. Mr. Chair. Here. Okay, members, we have a quorum today. We're hearing one bill, House Bill 1082. At the outset of this legislation. I just want to say a few remarks. I think it's important to be clear that every person in this room cares about the safety of children. And every member of this committee, every witness, every member of the public who has taken the time to be here believes that the trafficking and sexual exploitation of children is horrific. These crimes are among the most serious and devastating offenses imaginable. And reasonable people can differ on the policy here. You can differ on what the punishment should be, how our sentencing structure should operate, and what approach best protects children and strengthens public safety. Disagreement on policy details does not mean anyone here is indifferent to victims. It does not mean anyone lacks moral clarity. It means we're doing our jobs. The hard work of legislating the subject matter of this bill…
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