Governor applauds GA first lady as he signs 9 new laws to combat human trafficking

Gov. Brian Kemp signed some bills into law today that will help some victims of human trafficking get their criminal convictions vacated.

Nine laws dealing with human trafficking in the state, and Kemp said it was all First Lady Marty Kemp and her GRACE Commission that kept pushing to get these done.

One bill gives the State Massage Licensing Board the authority to conduct surprise inspections on facilities so as to root out illicit massage parlors.

Another makes it a felony to groom a child for human trafficking.

And a third vacates the convictions of some victims of human trafficking if the crimes occurred while they were being trafficked.

“It’s really incredible what our first lady Marty Kemp, the GRACE Commission, and members of the Georgia legislature have done,” Governor Kemp said.

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Channel 2 Action News was with the first lady in January as she cut the ribbon on the new Grace’s Place -- a 25-bed facility for human trafficking victims to help them get back on their feet.

“I just feel like I’m not afraid of controversy,” Marty Kemp said shortly after the bill signing.

She said once she saw how big the problem of human trafficking was in Georgia -- really a hub of trafficking around the Southeast -- she felt compelled to take action.

“I know when we learned of human trafficking even before he was sworn into office, I know that this was something that I needed to take charge of,” Marty Kemp said.

Mrs. Kemp says she’s traveled around the state for years now hearing victims’ stories and then lending her voice to fight the problem.

“People have been working on this for decades, and they just needed a louder voice to be able to get things passed,” she said.

And it’s worked.

These bills make nine new laws in Georgia dealing with the problem of human trafficking.

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