Human trafficking.

Existing law, as amended by the Californians Against Sexual Exploitation Act, an initiative measure enacted by the approval of Proposition 35 at the November 6, 2012, statewide general election (CASE Act) , proscribes the crime of human trafficking, a felony. The CASE Act makes a person who causes, induces, or persuades, or attempts to cause, induce, or persuade, a person who is a minor at the time of commission of the offense to engage in a commercial sex act with the intent to effect or maintain a violation of specified other offenses, including child pornography and extortion, guilty of human trafficking, a felony. Existing law makes that crime punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 5, 8, or 12 years and a fine of not more than $500,000, or, if the offense involves force, fear, fraud, deceit, coercion, violence, duress, menace, or threat of unlawful injury to the victim or another person, 15 years to life and a fine of not more than $500,000. The Legislature may amend the CASE Act by a statute passed in each house by a majority vote. This bill would expand the scope of that crime by making a person who causes, induces, or persuades, or attempts to cause, induce, or persuade, an adult, whom the person reasonably believes to be a minor at the time of commission of the offense, to engage in a commercial sex act with the intent to effect or maintain a violation of specified other offenses, including child pornography and extortion, guilty of human trafficking and subject to the penalties described above. By changing the definition of a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. The bill would declare that its provisions further the objectives of the CASE Act.