08 LC 36
1019
House
Resolution 1701
By:
Representatives Ashe of the
56th,
Thomas of the
55th,
Harbin of the
118th,
Lunsford of the
110th,
Walker of the
107th,
and others
A
RESOLUTION
Creating
the House Study Committee on Prostitution and the Adult Entertainment Industry;
and for other purposes.
WHEREAS,
the State of Georgia is home to a thriving adult entertainment industry; and
WHEREAS,
Georgia, especially the metropolitan Atlanta area, has become a hub for
prostitution, including child sexual exploitation; and
WHEREAS,
a recent study by the Atlanta Women's Agenda found a spatial link between
arrests for prostitution of adults and children and the location of adult
entertainment establishments; and
WHEREAS,
studies have shown that employees of adult entertainment establishments are at
great risk of being recruited into prostitution, of being stalked by customers,
and of being subjected to unsafe working conditions; and
WHEREAS,
individuals who are younger than 21 years of age may be especially vulnerable to
abuse as employees of adult entertainment establishments; and
WHEREAS,
the United States Supreme Court, in
Young v.
American Mini Theaters, Inc., 427 U.S. 50
(1976), and
City of Renton
v. Playtime Theaters, Inc., 475 U.S. 41
(1986), has recognized that local governments have the right and duty under
their police powers to regulate sexually oriented businesses and to control
where, when, and how these businesses will locate and operate in order to
minimize adverse secondary effects; and
WHEREAS,
additional regulation of the adult entertainment industry may be warranted to
minimize adverse secondary effects, including, but not limited to, prostitution
and child commercial sexual exploitation.
NOW,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that there is created
the House Study Committee on Prostitution and the Adult Entertainment Industry
to be composed of five members of the House of Representatives appointed by the
Speaker of the House of Representatives. The Speaker of the House shall
designate one of such members as chairperson. The chairperson shall call all
meetings of the committee.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the committee shall undertake a study of the
conditions, needs, issues, and problems mentioned above or related thereto and
recommend any action or legislation which the committee deems necessary or
appropriate. The committee may conduct such meetings at such places and at such
times as it may deem necessary or convenient to enable it to exercise fully and
effectively its powers, perform its duties, and accomplish the objectives and
purposes of this resolution. In conducting such study, the committee may study
current law and policy in Georgia and other states and may elicit views from
experts in the fields of social work, mental health, public health, child
welfare, and juvenile justice, as well as input from child victims and adult
survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and current and former employees of
the adult entertainment industry. The committee may examine recent policy and
social science reports on the relationship between the adult entertainment
industry and secondary adverse effects, including, but not limited to,
prostitution and child commercial sexual exploitation and its effect on
community safety. The members of the committee shall receive the allowances
provided for in Code Section 28-1-8 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated.
All funds necessary to carry out the provisions of this resolution shall come
from funds appropriated to the House of Representatives. The allowances
authorized by this resolution shall not be received by any member of the
committee for more than five days unless additional days are authorized. In the
event the committee makes a report of its findings and recommendations, with
suggestions for proposed legislation, if any, such report shall be made on or
before December 1, 2008. The committee shall stand abolished on December 1,
2008.