Arizona State Representative Selina Bliss (R-Prescott) and Senator Shawnna Bolick (R-San Miguel) have joined forces to introduce legislation that addresses the “urgent need for stronger measures against individuals who engage in child sex trafficking.”
The legislation, introduced in both the Arizona Senate and House of Representatives as HCR 2042/SCR 1021, is a referendum that would allow Arizona voters to “authorize a prison sentence of natural life with no opportunity for release for individuals convicted of the most egregious forms of child sex trafficking.”
If passed, the legislation would amend the Arizona State Constitution to mandate a natural life sentence for individuals convicted of paying for sex with a minor, receiving payment for placing a minor in another person’s custody for sex with another person, or providing or obtaining a minor with intent that the minor engage in sex with another person.
Bolick and Bliss said this would “send a clear message that such crimes will not be tolerated.”
In addition, if it were to become law, convicted persons under the legislation would not be eligible for commutation, parole, or release from confinement under any circumstances.
Bolick and Bliss add this would “ensure that the severity of the crime is met with an equally severe punishment.”
“Arizona must be a place where the innocence of our youth is protected, and justice prevails,” Bliss said in a statement. “That’s why it’s my honor to sponsor this legislation that would ensure that individuals convicted of sexual offenses involving child victims face severe and irrevocable consequences. Our society must stand firmly against those who seek to harm the most vulnerable among us. Those who prey on the innocence of the young will face the full weight of the law.”
“We believe in holding traffickers accountable for their heinous crimes, and that’s why we’ve filed legislation for a ballot referral to put convicted child sex traffickers behind bars for life,” Bolick added. “Our message is clear: our children are not for sale, and we will not tolerate heinous crimes against them. Join us in this fight to protect our most precious resource—our children. Perpetrators, not here, not now, not never!”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Arizona Sun Times and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
