Come November, voters in Arizona will decide if they want to further the state's existing sex crime laws and sentence people convicted of child sex trafficking to life in prison.
Introduced as mirror concurrent resolutions in both chambers of the Arizona Legislature, state Representative Selina Bliss, R-Prescott, is a sponsor of the House version, HCR 2042.
"We're putting it out there that in Arizona, our children are not for sale," Bliss said.
She meant it literally - as the proposals have been deemed the "Arizona's Children are Not for Sale Act." The proposal has straightforward intentions, Bliss said: punishing anyone targeting children for sex trafficking.
Bliss was inspired to sponsor the ballot referral after decades of working as a nurse in the emergency department.
In that role she says she saw "trauma of all kinds," but it was the sexual trauma to minors that most motivated her to sponsor HCR 2042.
"To me, there's just nothing more horrific," she said.
Unlike other pieces of legislation, the proposal does not need the signature of Governor Katie Hobbs. Instead, if it gains enough support in both the House and the Senate, it goes directly to the November ballot for voters to decide on. This week, the Arizona's Children are Not for Sale Act was transmitted to the Secretary of State for the final steps to get on the ballot.
"We crafted this so it was super simple," Bliss explained. "Since it's going to the ballot, every word counts."
The film "Sound of Freedom" rocked box offices last summer, making headlines and becoming one of the most successful independent films of all time. Its story - outlining the supposed real-life journey of an anti-sex trafficking organization founder - inspired a movement that led directly to the Arizona's Children are Not for Sale Act.
The legislation has received support from Republicans and some survivors. Some supporters directly referenced Sound of Freedom as their motivation for supporting the plan.
"This bill gives Arizona the opportunity to send a clear message that you cannot buy our children without a stiff penalty, because I live with a stiff penalty every day," Sheri Lopez, a child sex trafficking survivor, testified in front of the House Judiciary Committee.
Still, the plan faces serious pushback from some anti-sex trafficking and sex abuse organizations and experts, who say it will have serious unintended consequences and make little impact on the existing trafficking and abuse scourge.
"Increasing jail time certainly allows society more retribution, but it will not save children," testified Marilyn Rodriguez, who represents the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence.
Like the movie it was inspired by, critics say the Arizona's Children are Not for Sale Act is misguided in its understanding of how sex trafficking occurs and impacts its victims.
Experts say victims of sex trafficking often find themselves charged with crimes, too, after being forced to commit them by an abuser. If voters approve of this ballot referral in November, trafficking prevention advocates fear victims will be given a second life sentence: not only dealing with the enduring repercussions of their abuse but living a life behind bars.
Rodriguez said the Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence sees this legislation as "furthering the harms, not reducing the harms."
Instead, she recommends investing in prevention and education programs. One place to start, Rodriguez testified, is by "acknowledging that children are most often trafficked by a friend or family member for financial gain."
Bliss said she and her fellow sponsors have tried to address critics' concerns by including language that would specifically target crimes done by adults.
The resolution will appear on Arizona voters' ballots in November, along with almost a dozen other policy issues, as of mid-March.
