Oregon Senate Republicans recently sponsored two bills, SB 513 and SB 816, which would have strengthened state laws against child trafficking. Among other things, the bills proposed to raise the age a “child” covered by the “child trafficking” laws from 15 to 18, added advertising to the activities included in the scope of “child trafficking,” and would have made patronizing a trafficked child a crime.
Both bills died in committee last week when Democrats, who hold the majority of seats in the Oregon Senate, voted against releasing both measures from Senate Judiciary Committee for consideration by the State Senate. The vote went along straight party lines.
Why the No votes? Senate Democrats who voted against the measures have some explaining to do concerning their lack of support for such common sense bills. Protecting children and teenagers from criminal trafficking should be a priority of the Oregon legislature. This is not a partisan issue.