Policy Advocacy
Our work providing direct legal services gives us a unique perspective on the ways that current laws fail to protect survivors. We apply the lessons we learn from providing free legal services to policy advocacy by working to change the law to create a more trauma-informed legal system, where survivors can walk into court and experience a truth-seeking, problem-solving branch of government that protects them from further harm.
Bills We’ve Helped Draft and Pass
Our previous legislation work expands record clearance and criminal procedure protections for survivors of human trafficking
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After a year of advocacy by an incredible statewide coalition, on Friday, October 8th, 2021, Governor Newsom signed AB 124 into law. This new law takes us one step closer to justice, restoration and healing. AB 124 supports survivors of violence, including domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking by providing more trauma-informed statutory provisions to guide charging, sentencing, and resentencing decisions made by district attorneys and judges, and expanded vacatur relief.
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AB 262 was drafted to improve the vacatur law by clearing barriers to enforcement so that survivors actually receive a clean record after a judge grants their vacatur petition.
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AB 2169 clarified that California’s vacatur laws erase a survivor’s criminal record because their criminalization was legally invalid – a critical clarification that removes victim-blaming from the statute, and ensures non-citizen survivors will not be further harmed by negative immigration consequences from their erroneous criminal history. This change in the law decreased the burden placed on survivors when applying for vacatur. The bill received wide support.
Legislation We’re Working to Pass
In partnership with the coalition that passed AB 124, we are working to improve criminal procedure statutes for human trafficking and trauma survivors. While the previous legislative work we have done significantly expanded legal protections for survivors, we are still working to make sure every human trafficking survivor is able to tell their full story in court and get a fresh start after their exploitation, no matter what they are charged with.
#TakeAction:
You can support our policy advocacy work by
Joining our policy update list here.
Calling your assembly members, senators, and the governor in support of our upcoming bills. Please click here to find your local legislator.
Implementation
Once we successfully pass new legislation, stakeholders need education about the changes to the law and how to use new laws to help survivors. We do that through our education programs.