ATLANTA (March 1, 2018) | Senator Renee Unterman (R – Buford) sponsored a series of bills relating to sex trafficking in the Georgia Senate on Wednesday, February 28, 2018.
“These pieces of legislation have been a long-time dedication of mine,” said Sen. Unterman. “Unfortunately, sex trafficking is an issue that is more prevalent than ever before in our state. This legislation is the beginning of a long road to stopping a problem that is affecting too many of our citizens. The fight is not over and I will continue to do everything in my power to propose legislation to protect citizens who are victims of sex trafficking.”
Senate Bill 39 would increase the penalties for pimping and pandering. The legislation would increase the penalty for a conviction of pimping and a third conviction of pandering from a misdemeanor to a felony. The penalty would also include mandatory jail time. In addition, an individual must register with the State Sexual Offender Registry.
Senate Bill 335 would expand the offense of sex trafficking. The legislation would expand the offense to include knowingly patronizing a person to conduct sexually explicit content. In addition, the legislation also clarifies that the punishment for the offense would be five to 20 years, if the individual who was patronized is 16 years of age or older upon conviction.
For the full text of Senate Bills 39 and 335, please follow the links below:
http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20172018/SB/39
http://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/en-US/Display/20172018/SB/335
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For Immediate Release:
March 1, 2018
Ines Owens, Director
ines.owens@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028