JOHN HAMBRICK NEWS RELEASE
CARSON CITY – Nevada Assemblyman John Hambrick introduced this week two assembly bills that would strengthen penalties for trafficking and forced prostitution of children.
Assembly Bill 241 would ensure that Nevada is a “safe harbor” for children who have been victims of trafficking or prostitution through the court system. The bill would also institute an additional administrative assessment on those found guilty of soliciting prostitution to be deposited in a special account to be used for specialty courts and prevention of child prostitution.
Assembly Bill 280 would strengthen existing law by increasing the penalties for soliciting a child for prostitution or living off the earnings of a child prostitute.
“In a state where prostitution is legal, we must protect our children,” said John Hambrick. “If someone is coming to Nevada to buy a child, I want these buyers to know that we are serious when we say that their business isn’t welcome here.”
Hambrick has been a leader in proposing legislation to stop child and human trafficking. In 2009 he sponsored AB380, which was signed into law by Governor Gibbons, that dramatically increased penalties for pandering or prostituting a child, including allowing the court to freeze assets up to $500,000. In 2011 he sponsored AB6, which was signed into law by Governor Sandoval, that now allows those who were convicted for prostitution while being trafficked could petition the court to have their convictions expunged from their records, giving them an opportunity to return to a normal life.
“I hope my peers will join me in supporting the victims of child prostitution and trafficking, and we need to do that by penalizing the people preying on these young victims. We have to hit them in the pocketbook,” Hambrick said.
Hambrick is currently serving his third term in the Nevada Assembly, representing District 2.
