Goal:
To support our partner Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST), asking Governor Brown to sign new laws that apply to California that would help end victims of modern slavery from being criminalized for crimes they were forced to commit.
Summary:
Five bills that aim to help human trafficking victims caught in the criminal justice system were under consideration in the Californian Assembly. We gathered signatures calling for Governor Brown to support the two bills that offered the best protections possible. These were AB 1761 (Affirmative Defense for Human Trafficking Victims ), which will ensure that human trafficking victims are not convicted of crimes their traffickers forced them to commit, and AB 1762 (Vacating Convictions for Human Trafficking Victims), which will help protect trafficking victims from being haunted by their past convictions and remove barriers to employment and housing.
Outcome:
AB 1761 was signed into law by Governor Brown in September of 2016, but AB 1762 was vetoed
