Human Trafficking Initiative Enters Circulation Expands Types of Criminal Conduct that Constitute Human Trafficking and Increases Criminal Penalties. Initiative Statute.

Secretary of State Debra Bowen today announced that the proponent of a new initiative may begin collecting petition signatures for her measure.

The Attorney General prepares the legal title and summary that is required to appear on initiative petitions. When the official language is complete, the Attorney General forwards it to the proponent and to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State then provides calendar deadlines to the proponent and to county elections officials, and the initiative may be circulated for signatures. The Attorney General’s official title and summary for the measure is as follows:

EXPANDS TYPES OF CRIMINAL CONDUCT THAT CONSTITUTE HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND INCREASES CRIMINAL PENALTIES. INITIATIVE STATUTE. Expands definition of human trafficking to encompass additional types of criminal conduct, including violating a person’s liberty with intent to distribute obscene material, and taking a victim’s travel documents to restrict victim’s movement. Increases criminal penalties for human trafficking, including longer prison sentences of up to 15-years-to-life and larger fines of up to $500,000 for certain offenses. Requires assets forfeited due to conviction be used for victim services. Prohibits evidence that victim engaged in sexual conduct from being used against victim. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: Potential increased local government costs of up to a few million dollars on a statewide basis due to the new mandatory training requirements for certain law enforcement officers. Unknown but probably minor net fiscal effects for state and local governments from a potential increase in human trafficking arrests and convictions. This would be a negligible percentage increase in state General Fund spending. (09-0103.)

The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 1448 and the Attorney General’s tracking number is 09-0103.

The proponent for this measure, Daphne Phung, must collect signatures of 433,971 registered voters – the number equal to five percent of the total votes cast for governor in the 2006 gubernatorial election – in order to qualify it for the ballot. The proponent has 150 days to circulate petitions for this measure, meaning the signatures must be collected by July 1, 2010.

The initiative proponent can be reached at info@CaliforniaAgainstSlavery.org. No phone number was provided.