ATLANTA (October 10, 2018) | Earlier this week, Sen. John Albers (R – Roswell) served as co-chair of the joint meeting between members of the Senate Public Safety, Health and Human Services and Judiciary Committees. The discussion focused on legislation passed during the 2018 Legislative Session addressing sex trafficking as well as public safety preparation tactics to prevent this issue ahead of the Super Bowl in Georgia.
“This meeting was very productive in terms of looking at facts and statistics to ensure that we will be prepared for major events where the safety of Georgians and our visitors is at stake,” said Sen. Albers. “By hearing from experts on proactive and reactive tactics addressing sex trafficking, we can see what preparations are already in place and where we need to expand our efforts. Although we have made numerous strides by collaborating with our public safety agencies, citizens and non-profits to further penalize those who engage in the terrible act of sex trafficking, I believe there is still more work to be done. I look forward to future meetings so we can be confident that we have the personnel needed ready and available to address this issue on a daily basis as well as during major events in our state.”
During the 2018 session, the Georgia General Assembly passed House Bill 732 to address sex trafficking offenses. This legislation became effective on July 1, 2018, and expands the offense of sex trafficking to include knowingly patronizing a person in sexual servitude. Under HB 732, an individual convicted of patronizing a person 16 years or older would serve between five and 20 years in prison and an individual convicted of patronizing a person 16 years old or younger would serve between 10 and 20 years in prison. The 10 to 20 year sentence also applies to any individual convicted of patronizing an individual known to have a developmental disability.
Speakers at the meeting included members of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), Office of the Attorney General, Criminal Justice Coordinating Council and Georgia Cares. To view the full committee meeting, follow this link:
https://livestream.com/accounts/22787557/events/6836353/videos/181504171
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For Immediate Release:
October 10, 2018
Ines Owens, Director
ines.owens@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028