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Committee backs amendment to ensure minors who were trafficking victims are not sentenced to life
Summary
House Bill 2207, amended in committee, prevents persons who were themselves child trafficking victims from receiving natural‑life sentences for child sex‑trafficking offenses; the amendment specifies the protection applies to persons under 18 at the time of the offense.
House Bill 2207 seeks to limit life‑without‑parole sentences tied to child sex‑trafficking convictions so that individuals who were themselves trafficked as juveniles are not categorically sentenced to natural life imprisonment.
Background and amendment Sponsor Representative Bliss described the legislation as a statutory cleanup and a response to feedback after a voter‑backed measure. The two‑page committee amendment narrows the change to make clear that the statute should not impose natural‑life sentences on persons who were under age 18 when they committed the offense; the amendment was adopted in committee.
Supporters and testimony Natalia Brown of the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence and survivor Sherry Lopez testified in support. They said some individuals who are coerced or forced into trafficking activities were themselves victims and should not automatically receive life sentences without room for judicial discretion or consideration of coercion.
Legal and policy context Witnesses and committee members discussed the interaction between voter‑approved changes and statutory language; sponsor said the amendment aims to align statutory language with Eighth Amendment constraints on juvenile life sentences and with the intended scope of the voter referral.
Committee action and vote The committee adopted the sponsor’s amendment and returned the bill with a due‑pass recommendation.
Ending: The committee amendment clarifies the bill’s scope so juveniles who were victims are not subject to mandatory natural‑life terms; the bill now proceeds to the floor.
