ATLANTA – The first bills in a legislative package targeting human trafficking in Georgia cleared their floor votes in the state House and Senate on Monday.
Two bills backed by Gov. Brian Kemp would strip the commercial driver’s licenses of certain convicted human traffickers and seek to help trafficking victims clean up criminal records they may have.
The governor has made toughening enforcement on human trafficking – as well as on criminal gangs – a high priority for the current legislative session. He previously tapped his wife, first lady Marty Kemp, to head a newly formed state commission to tackle human trafficking.
House Bill 823, by Rep. Houston Gaines, would impose a lifetime ban on driving a commercial vehicle for persons convicted of human trafficking-related offenses. The ban would only apply to people who used commercial vehicles to traffic victims.
Gaines, R-Athens, said from the House floor Monday that the bill would go a long way toward reversing Georgia’s status as a state with one of the highest rates of human trafficking in the nation.
“Together, we must fight back against those that victimize our state,” he said. The bill passed unanimously and heads to the Senate.
In the Senate, a measure by Sen. Brian Strickland that would the legal pain for victims of human trafficking also passed unanimously. Senate Bill 435 would let victims petition the court to vacate convictions for crimes committed while they were being trafficked.
Strickland, R-McDonough, who is one of Kemp’s floor leaders, said the measure would help victims overcome legal problems that linger after they are no longer being trafficked.
“Victims of human trafficking often find themselves victims of our criminal justice system as well,” Strickland said. “This bill will make certain a criminal record doesn’t keep these people from gainful employment.”
“This will allow so many to move on with their lives without fear,” added Sen. Zahra Karinshak, D-Duluth.
Beyond legislation, Kemp has asked state lawmakers to approve more funding for a human trafficking investigative unit launched last year and housed in the state Attorney General’s office.
Last week, Kemp and Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr highlighted gains made from a new human trafficking investigative unit, which since September has helped secure indictments against four people allegedly involved in human trafficking.