HB490: HB490 Crimes and offenses; required human trafficking training program for hotels; provide

Georgia law currently has no requirement that hotel staff or short-term rental managers receive training on recognizing human trafficking. This bill, known as the 'Georgia Human Trafficking Prevention Training Act,' adds a new section to the state's innkeeper laws (O.C.G.A. Title 43) requiring on-site inn employees and third-party managers of short-term rentals like Airbnbs to complete annual human trafficking awareness training within 60 days of being hired and every year after. The Attorney General's office, working with the Georgia Hotel and Lodging Association and other groups, would develop or approve the training content, covering how to spot trafficking and who to contact. Inns and rental properties must adopt reporting procedures, post required hotline notices, and keep training records for inspection. Violators face escalating fines from $500 to $2,000. The law would exempt owner-managed rentals and properties rented fewer than 15 days a year, and takes effect July 1, 2026.

• Requires all on-site hotel employees and third-party managers of short-term rental properties to complete annual human trafficking awareness training.
• Directs the Attorney General's office to develop or approve training content covering how to recognize trafficking and report it.
• Requires inns and rental properties to adopt policies for reporting suspected trafficking to the National Human Trafficking Hotline or local police.
• Requires inns and rental properties to keep employee training records for the duration of employment plus one year and produce them to the Attorney General's office within 10 business days if requested.
• Creates escalating administrative penalties of $500, $1,000, and $2,000 for willful and knowing violations of the training and reporting requirements.
• Exempts short-term rentals managed solely by their owners and properties rented fewer than 15 days a year.

Hotel and inn owners, operators, and on-site employees; third-party managers of short-term rental properties such as Airbnb or Vrbo listings; hosting platforms that facilitate short-term rentals; the Attorney General's office, which must develop training standards; and local law enforcement, which assists with posting enforcement.

Hotel and short-term rental staff would gain formal training to spot signs of trafficking and know how to report it, potentially improving detection of trafficking victims passing through lodging. Property owners and managers face new compliance costs, recordkeeping duties, and possible fines for noncompliance.

• Section 1 names the bill the 'Georgia Human Trafficking Prevention Training Act.'
• Section 2 adds new Code Section 43-21-16, defining terms like 'hosting platform,' 'human trafficking,' and 'short-term rental property.'
• Subsection (b) requires annual training within 60 days of hire, with an exemption for employees who completed qualifying training in the year before July 1, 2026.
• Subsection (c) lists required training topics, including identifying at-risk individuals and hotline contact information.
• Subsection (f) requires retention of training acknowledgment records for the employment period plus one year, produced to the Attorney General's office within 10 business days on written request.
• Subsection (h) sets administrative penalties of $500 for a first violation, $1,000 for a second, and $2,000 for a third or subsequent violation.
• Subsection (i) exempts owner-managed short-term rentals and properties rented less than 15 days per calendar year.
• Section 3 sets the effective date as July 1, 2026.

1. 2026-03-06House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
2. 2026-03-04House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
3. 2026-03-03House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
4. 2026-02-26House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
5. 2026-02-20House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
6. 2025-04-04House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
7. 2025-03-04House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
8. 2025-02-20House Second Readers (House)

• Debra Bazemore (D, HD-069)Primary sponsor
• Carolyn Hugley (D, HD-141)
• Samuel Park (D, HD-107)
• Tanya Miller (D, HD-062)
• Stacey Evans (D, HD-057)
• Inga Willis (D, HD-055)

• human trafficking
• hotel regulations
• short-term rentals
• Georgia Attorney General
• tourism