ATLANTA (March 17, 2010) – The Georgia Senate joined with Sen. Cecil Staton (R-Macon) Wednesday at the State Capitol to help law enforcement officials stop suspected illegal activities at massage parlors and spas. The Senate unanimously passed Senate Bill 364, a measure Staton authored to give local police and prosecutors additional resources and provide for more severe penalties by clearing up several loopholes in Georgia law. SB 364 was approved with a 51 to 0 vote.
“I want to thank my Senate colleagues for helping me pass this legislation which will be an invaluable resource for law enforcement and prosecutors around the state dealing with illegal activities at massage parlors,” said Staton. “Local communities are in dire need of stronger penalties to effectively rid their towns of this type of criminal behavior. SB 364 provides officials a powerful arsenal of legal charges so they can go after and shut down these illegal operations for good.”
SB 364 seeks to amend Georgia law by increasing the penalties for convictions including misdemeanor charges for the first offense, an aggravated misdemeanor for a second offense; and a third or subsequent offense will be a felony with imprisonment for one to 5 years and/or a $25,000 fine per offense. In addition, spa owners and operators can also be held accountable if they are proven to be involved in illegal activities at massage parlors and spas. Under the proposed law, local governments could become more involved with the regulation of massage parlors in their area.
SB 364 now moves to the House of Representatives for consideration. If passed by the General Assembly and signed by Governor Sonny Perdue, SB 364 would go into effect either July 1 or immediately following the governor’s signature.
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:
March 17, 2010
For Information Contact:
Matt Colvin, Broadcast Specialist
matthew.colvin@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028