Governor signs law increasing fines for human trafficking notices
New law increases fines for businesses that don't post human trafficking info
Bars, hotels and even emergency rooms will soon face tougher penalties if they fail to post information about the state's trafficking hotline for the public. Gov. Brian Kemp signed that bill into law Tuesday. It's an issue his wife, First Lady Marty Kemp, has worked on since 2019.
ATLANTA - Gov. Brian Kemp signed a law Tuesday aimed at getting more businesses to post required human trafficking notices.
"It takes all of us to end trafficking, and I am proud our elected leaders from both parties have stood strong and supported our legislation," said first lady Marty Kemp, who has pushed to end human trafficking in Georgia.
Since September 2013, state law has mandated certain businesses post a notice in English and Spanish that contains the phone numbers for the national and Georgia human trafficking hotlines. Those businesses include:
- Adult entertainment establishments;
- Bars;
- Primary airports;
- Passenger rail or light rail stations;
- Bus stations;
- Truck stops;
- Emergency rooms within general acute care hospitals;
- Urgent care centers;
- Farm labor contractors and day haulers;
- Privately operated job recruitment centers;
- Safety rest areas located along interstate highways in this state;
- Hotels;
- Businesses and establishments that offer massage or bodywork services by a person who is not a massage therapist; and
- Government buildings; provided, however, that in the case of leased property, this paragraph shall only apply to public restrooms that are a part of such lease for exclusive use by the government entity.
Mrs. Kemp said, however, that the fines for violating the law could be as little as $1. So, the new law sets the fine at $500 to $1,000 for the first offense and $1,000 to $5,000 for any subsequent offense.
"It may not sound like much, but the reality is this simple step could save lives if the notice reaches the right person," said Mrs. Kemp.
The bill signing coincided with a meeting of the first lady's GRACE Commission, a group of advocates, business leaders, and state and local officials focused on ending human trafficking.
Hannah Palmquist is the lead human trafficking prosecutor for the Georgia Attorney General's Office. She updated GRACE Commission members on the recent prosecutions by her unit, including a man in Clayton County sentenced to 70 years.
Palmquist said the new law will help raise awareness of human trafficking with the public at large and give victims a way out.
"Our hope is actually that victims will see this posted, that while they may not have thought of themselves as victims of human trafficking, this alerts them that somebody is out there who could potentially help them, and we are hopeful that could generate more leads to investigations," said Palmquist.