Senate panel advances bill limiting massage-parlor hours to 1 a.m.–6 a.m.

A Georgia Senate committee on Monday voted to report favorably on House Bill 892, tightening permitted hours for massage services to 1 a.m.–6 a.m. in an effort its sponsor said would undercut operators who use 24-hour establishments to facilitate human trafficking.

Representative Holcomb, who introduced the bill and said his district includes 24-hour parlors that are "places of human trafficking," told the committee the change is intended to ‘‘hit the traffickers in their pocketbooks’’ by removing around-the-clock operating hours. He said he worked with legislative counsel to revise the draft (LC 560649S) so legitimate multi-service spas — cited in testimony as Jeju Spa in Gwinnett — would not be closed by the hours restriction.

Supporters said a statewide standard would provide law enforcement another enforcement tool where local resources are stretched. "There was just a sting up in the Sandy Springs area," Representative Holcomb said, citing law-enforcement operations and describing the problem as a statewide one that local jurisdictions have limited resources to sustain.

Opponents warned of government overreach and unintended consequences. Senator Summers and others questioned whether the state should preempt local business licensing and whether limiting hours might push illicit activity further underground. Senator Albers and other members asked how the bill would avoid penalizing legitimate businesses that offer non-massage services.

Senator Jones offered an amendment to narrow the restricted window to 1 a.m.–6 a.m.; the amendment was seconded and passed 6–1. After debate the committee voted to report the regulated-industries substitute of House Bill 892 as amended out of committee by a 5–3 margin. No roll-call list of individual yes/no votes was recorded in the transcript; members made the counts by raised hands.

What happens next: Representative Holcomb indicated Senator Williams would carry the measure in the Senate. The bill will move forward to the full chamber under the committee report and may be subject to further amendment on the floor.

Sources and evidence: The committee worked from LC 560649S as the draft. Sponsor testimony, committee questions, the amendment text proposed by Senator Jones, and the two votes (6–1 on the amendment; 5–3 on final committee passage) are recorded in the committee transcript.