Democratic lawmakers in California are gutting a bill that would make it a felony to purchase 16- and 17-year-old children for sex. The assembly’s Public Safety Committee advanced the bill, AB 379, but stripped the provision, reducing the crime to a misdemeanor.

A bill last year would have made it a felony to purchase children under the age of 16 for sex. A Democratic assemblywoman, Maggy Krell, brought a new bill this year to expand it to older teenagers.

The Democratic chairman of the Public Safety Committee, Nick Schultz, ordered the felony charges dropped from the bill in order to allow a hearing on it before proceeding.

He called last year’s deal “carefully crafted” and says he’s not against the proposal but more study is needed and he wants a hearing held in the fall instead of pushing one through now.

Ms. Krell spent two decades working on trafficking cases for the California Department of Justice before entering the assembly. She argues that under state law right now, there are harsher penalties for when victims are 18 than when they are 16 or 17 years old.

“It’s a disgrace,” Ms. Krell told KCRA-TV about the felony provision being stripped from the bill. “I’ve been doing this for 20 years, and I’m not going to quit now. And I am going to bring this part of this bill back every year until I get the votes to protect children.”

California assembly Republicans also criticized the change. “Why are some @AssemblyDems planning to cut felony charges for adults who buy 16- and 17-year-olds for sex?” they asked in an X post. “There are no excuses. Protect the kids. Not the predators.”

A coalition of anti-trafficking organizations, law enforcement officers, and mayors had supported including the felony provision in the legislation.