From the Capitol…

By: Sen. Cecil Staton

During my 6 years serving the 18th State Senate district, constituents have frequently written or called to my office about whether or not there is something we can do to help the image of middle-Georgia, an image many tell me they believe is tarnished by the illegal activities taking place at so-called massage parlors and spas. 

Yesterday I joined with several other middle-Georgia legislators to introduce a bill which I believe is a step in the right direction to crack down on illegal massage parlors and spas.  My bill, Senate Bill 364, is designed to aid law enforcement and local government in cleaning up this illegal activity and sex trafficking that takes place under the guise of a massage therapy parlor or spa. This new law will increase penalties for this illegal activity and will give local governments the ability to make sure massage therapy services in their area are licensed and engaged in ethical business operations.  SB 364 increases the fines and prison time for businesses that operate as an advertised massage therapy parlor or spa that are involved in illegal actions.  The bill also gives local governments the ability to regulate these types of businesses at the local level to make sure that massage therapy services are officially licensed and following the letter of the law.

We have done a great deal of research and consultation on this issue with government and law enforcement officials here locally as well as around the state.  We looked carefully at what other counties do and what current law provides.  We have come to the conclusion that in order to truly deter any illegal acts and help clean up our communities the law needed more teeth so police and prosecutors can do their jobs with the help of increased punishments for violating this law, including the potential of a felony charge for repeat offenders.  I believe this bill does just that and I look forward to working with the General Assembly to make sure it is passed this session.

 I want to challenge our local officials to join with us once this bill is signed into law this bill so we can work together to improve the image of middle-Georgia, which seems to be a center for unlawful activities at these so-called spas and message parlors.  We must give law enforcement officials the arsenal they need to punish these individuals and effectively do the job that I believe the citizens of Macon, Bibb County, and middle-Georgia want them to do.

I am also pleased to report a bill I authored that gives school districts increased flexibility with respect to textbooks passed overwhelmingly out of the Senate this week. Senate Bill 319 expands the definition of a textbook to include digital, computer hardware, and technical equipment so Georgia schools can take advantage of new technologies and new ways of learning, which will help our children. This bill would ultimately give schools the option of purchasing digital textbooks and equipment to provide for classroom use.  This legislation would give students the ability to learn with some outstanding new classroom resources such as digital textbooks with interactive content and instructional materials.  With the cost of printed books going up, school districts can enjoy cost savings by having the option to use electronic versions of books. 

SB 319 was passed by the Senate with a 45 to 5 vote and now moves to the House of Representatives.  I look forward to working with House members to get this bill passed and into law this year. Students deserve the best possible education experience and teachers deserve to utilize the latest technologies for the 21st century classroom.  Kids don’t learn the same way as my generation and this bill will allow them to enjoy the best educational experience possible with state-of-the-art materials.

Sen. Cecil Staton serves as Chairman of the Science and Technology Committee. He represents the 18th Senate District which includes portions of Bibb, Crawford, Houston, Jones and Monroe counties.  He may be reached by phone at 404.656.5039 or via e-mail at cecil.staton@senate.state.gov.

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
February 5, 2010
For Information Contact:
Matt Colvin, Broadcast Specialist
matthew.colvin@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028