H.B. 200 Sex Trafficking Bill must be amended!

Make contacts before the Senate Health & Human Services Committee meets
Tuesday, March 22nd, at 2:00 p.m., in the Capitol, room 450.

H.B. 200 does very different things – some good, some bad. But it’s easy to fix.

THE FIX: On page 2, line 62 of H.B. 200, reduce the age of 18 to age 13.  If this amendment is not made, teens under 18 could, without legal restraint, earn money by providing sexually explicit conduct that is “obtained” from them.  “Obtained” is the word used in the bill on page 2, line 62 to differentiate between provisions for persons under age 18 and over 18.
Fact: People of all ages voluntarily perform sexually explicit acts for hire and some of those choosing to do so are younger than age 18.
Fact: If sex crime penalties are waived for everyone under 18, the number of young people choosing to perform such acts for hire will multiply and their lives will be ruined.

THE GOOD: (a) H.B. 200 strengthens sex trafficking laws by enhancing penalties for forcing people to perform sex acts for hire, including prostitution.
(b) H.B. 200 allows sex-trafficked persons to be classified as victims if they prove they have been forced into such acts by “coercion” or “deception.”
(c) Those proving coercion or deception would be eligible for victim compensation, regardless of their age or history in prostitution or other sex crimes.

THE BAD: (a) H.B. 200 removes the penalty for sex crimes if the person performing the act is under age 18, disregarding the fact that some individuals under 18 choose to perform sex acts for hire.
(b) Sex crimes for which penalties would be removed are prostitution, sodomy/solicitation of sodomy, masturbation for hire and pornography.
(c) Georgia could become a magnet for anyone under age 18 who wants to work as a prostitute or in other forms of profitable sexual conduct.
(d) State and federal victim compensation funds could be awarded to professional prostitutes, porn workers, etc., unless this bill is amended.

ACTION – Ask members of the Senate Health & Human Services Committee to reduce the age of 18 to age 13 on page two, line 62 of H.B. 200.  The members are as follows:
Senators Unterman, Ch., 404 463-1368, fax 404 651-6768; Carter, V-Ch., 404 656-5109, fax 404 657-3217; Goggans, Sec., 404 463-5263, fax 404 656-6484; Balfour, 404 656-0095, fax 404 656-6581; Judson Hill, 404 656-0150, fax 404 463-2535; Millar, 404 463-2260, no fax; Williams, 404 656-0089, fax 404 463-5220; Grant, 404 656-0082, fax 404 657-3248; Ligon, 404 656-0045, no fax; Henson, 404 656-0085, fax 404 651-7078; Jackson, 404 463-5261, fax 404 463-1388; Orrock, 404 463-8054, fax 404 657-7853; and Tate, 404 463-8053, fax 404 463-7783.