A measure that would change the California constitution to prohibit involuntary servitude in criminal punishment did not pass the Senate in time to make a deadline for the November ballot, disappointing prison reform advocates who called it critical in addressing the state’s history of enslavement.
The amendment, which requires voter approval, would delete language in the constitution that bans forced labor, except as a form of punishment. Lawmakers can vote on the bill this year, but it would not go to voters until 2023 at the earliest.
The measure, known as the End Slavery in California Act, was developed by criminal justice reform advocate, Samual Brown, and carried by Sen. Sydney Kamlager, D-Los Angeles.
