Bill Text: AZ HB2207 | 2025 | Fifty-seventh Legislature 1st Regular | Introduced


Bill Title: Child sex trafficking; juvenile defendants

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-04 - House minority caucus: Do pass [HB2207 Detail]

Download: Arizona-2025-HB2207-Introduced.html

 

 

 

REFERENCE TITLE: child sex trafficking; juvenile defendants

 

 

 

 

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-seventh Legislature

First Regular Session

2025

 

 

 

HB 2207

 

Introduced by

Representative Bliss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AN ACT

 

amending section 13-720, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to sentencing and imprisonment.

 

 

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

 


Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Subject to the requirements of article IV, part 1, section 1, Constitution of Arizona, section 13-720, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE13-720. Child sex trafficking; felony; natural life; sentencing

A. Notwithstanding any other law, if a person is convicted of a class 2 felony for child sex trafficking pursuant to section 13-3212, the person shall be sentenced to imprisonment in the custody of the state department of corrections for natural life. A person who is sentenced to natural life is not eligible for any form of release.

B. A person shall not be sentenced to natural life pursuant to this section if the court finds by clear and convincing evidence that the person was under eighteen years of age at the time of the commission of the offense and that the person was in fact a victim of child sex trafficking pursuant to section 13-3212 committed by another person before the person committed the offense for which the person was convicted. END_STATUTE

Sec. 2. Legislative intent

The legislature intends to amend section 13-720, Arizona Revised Statutes, as amended by this act, in order to preserve the rights of juveniles under the eighth amendment of the United States Constitution.

Sec. 3. Requirements for enactment; three-fourths vote

Pursuant to article IV, part 1, section 1, Constitution of Arizona, section 13-720, Arizona Revised Statutes, as amended by this act, is effective only on the affirmative vote of at least three-fourths of the members of each house of the legislature.

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