Biggs opposed 2005 law targeting child sex traffickers

Twenty years ago, Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs voted against an anti-sex trafficking law designed to protect children.

Biggs is now his state’s Republican nominee for governor. His alleged pattern of failing to stand with sexual assault victims has become a significant issue in the race.

In 2005, when he was serving in the Arizona House, Biggs was one of only four legislators to vote against SB 1338. The bill reclassified sex trafficking of a victim under the age of 15 as a “dangerous crime against children” and established a 20-year presumptive prison sentence for first-time offenders. It also established a 30-year sentence for subsequent offenses.

Biggs did not provide a formal explanation of why he opposed the bill. It was signed into law by Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano.

Biggs has already come under fire for similar votes. That same year, he voted against a bipartisan bill requiring sex offenders moving to Arizona to re-register in the state. In 2007, he was the lone committee vote against a law toughening penalties for child prostitution.

In 2013, when Biggs was leading the Arizona Senate, he blocked a bipartisan push to shut down a local police force that was allegedly protecting an extremist religious sect accused of abusing young girls.

This pattern continued when Biggs joined Congress in 2017. In 2018, he opposed a bipartisan bill cracking down on online sex trafficking. The legislation had broad bipartisan support and was signed into law by President Donald Trump.

Last year, Biggs voted in committee to block the release of Justice Department files related to the investigation of sex predator Jeffrey Epstein. He ultimately voted to release the files when it came up for a floor vote.

Biggs is challenging incumbent Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs. A Tarrance Group poll from July showed Hobbs leading Biggs by four percentage points.