SACRAMENTO – The Assembly Judiciary Committee today unanimously passed AB 1278 by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco) to combat human trafficking by a 10-0 vote. The legislation is jointly authored by Cameron Smyth (R-Santa Clarita) and Sally Lieber (D-San Jose) and is sponsored by San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris. The bill comes on the heels of Assemblywoman Ma’s work at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, where she authored legislation to crack down on illegitimate massage parlors that served as fronts for human trafficking in the City

“Human trafficking is modern day slavery,” said Assemblywoman Ma. “Strengthening current law and increasing penalties will send the message that California has a zero tolerance policy for human traffickers.”

Specifically, AB 1278 will prohibit contracts that allow deductions from a person’s wages for the cost of transporting that person to the United States, increase the maximum penalties for a human trafficking offense, provide district attorneys with more power to prosecute those who traffic a minor, allow for a single jurisdiction for prosecution when a trafficker operates in more than one county, and establish guidelines for proper utilization of asset forfeiture laws.

Human trafficking involves the recruitment, transportation, or sale of persons for forced labor. Through the use of violence, threats, and coercion, enslaved persons are forced to work in the sex trade, domestic labor, factories, hotels or restaurants, and agriculture.

The U.S. government estimates that about 17,000 to 20,000 women, men and children are trafficked into the United States each year, meaning there may be as many as 100,000 to 200,000 people in the U.S. working as modern slaves in homes, sweatshops, brothels, agricultural fields, construction projects and restaurants.

Click here for a copy of the bill