Georgia CommonsHouse · Introduced · 2025-2026 Regular Session
HB 1154: Criminal procedure; imposition of death penalty; include offense of trafficking of persons for labor and sexual servitude
Last action February 4, 2026 · House Second Readers
House Bill 1154 would add trafficking of persons for labor or sexual servitude to the list of crimes that can trigger Georgia's death penalty aggravating circumstances, applying to offenses committed on or after July 1, 2026.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Introduced version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.
In plain language
Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 17-10-30) lists specific 'aggravating circumstances' that a judge or jury must consider when deciding whether to impose the death penalty in eligible cases. Currently those circumstances reference crimes like murder, rape, armed robbery, and kidnapping. This bill adds the offense of trafficking of persons for labor or sexual servitude to several of those aggravating circumstance categories, meaning that when a trafficking offense is linked to a capital case, prosecutors could point to it as a factor supporting a death sentence. The bill also makes a small wording update, replacing gendered pronouns like 'his' with neutral or clarified language in a couple of spots, and adds 'solicitor' to the list of officials whose murder during official duties counts as an aggravating circumstance. The changes would apply only to offenses committed on or after July 1, 2026; crimes committed before that date would continue to be prosecuted under the current version of the law.
What the bill does
- Adds trafficking of persons for labor or sexual servitude to five of the statutory aggravating circumstances used in death penalty sentencing decisions under O.C.G.A. § 17-10-30.
- Allows a prior conviction for trafficking of persons to count as an aggravating circumstance if the defendant has a prior capital felony record involving trafficking.
- Adds 'solicitor' alongside solicitor-general and district attorney as officials whose murder during official duties is an aggravating circumstance.
- Updates some pronoun language in the existing statute from 'his' to gender-neutral or clarified wording.
- Limits the changes to offenses committed on or after July 1, 2026, leaving earlier cases to be prosecuted under the law as it currently stands.
Who it affects
Prosecutors and judges handling capital cases in Georgia, defendants charged with human trafficking offenses linked to murder or other capital crimes, and victims of trafficking whose cases could now factor into death penalty sentencing decisions in relevant prosecutions.
Why it matters
If enacted, prosecutors could cite a defendant's trafficking-related conduct as grounds for seeking the death penalty in qualifying capital cases, potentially increasing the likelihood of a death sentence in cases involving both trafficking and a capital offense like murder, starting with crimes committed after July 1, 2026.
Key provisions
- Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 17-10-30(b) to insert 'trafficking of persons for labor or sexual servitude' into aggravating circumstances numbers (1), (2), (7), and (11).
- Section 1 also adds 'solicitor' to the list of officials in circumstance (5) whose murder during official duties is an aggravating factor.
- Section 2 makes the changes apply only to offenses committed on or after July 1, 2026, and preserves prior law for earlier offenses.
- Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.
From the bill
“The offense of murder, rape, armed robbery, trafficking of persons for labor or sexual servitude, or kidnapping was committed by a person with a prior record of conviction for a capital felony”
“This Act shall be applicable to all offenses committed on or after July 1, 2026.”
Discussed in meetings (4)
The House and Senate meetings that took this bill up, from their machine transcripts. Each account was written by Georgia Commons with AI and is not part of the record; the video is what was said.
House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee, February 23, 2026
From 2:34:34 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The chair announced that HB 1154 would be moved to Wednesday afternoon. No presentation or debate occurred.
House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee, February 25, 2026
From 0:48:48 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel
Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the bill would make the death penalty an option for trafficking offenses, emphasizing harm to survivors. The sponsor cited an estimate that 7,200 men purchase sex from minors monthly in Georgia, with 65% in metro Atlanta, and described high rates of depression, trauma and suicide attempts among survivors. One committee member questioned prolonged litigation, wrongful executions, costs and Supreme Court limits on capital punishment for crimes not resulting in death. Another questioned which participants in trafficking operations could qualify. The sponsor said accountability should apply regardless of wealth or public position. A Georgians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty witness warned that lengthy proceedings could harm survivors and that victims may hesitate to report relatives or partners facing execution. A Southern Center for Human Rights witness argued that the proposal violated Supreme Court precedent and lacked an assessment of costs and caseloads. A Georgia Catholic Conference witness opposed capital punishment on moral grounds and favored spending on prevention and victim services. An ACLU of Georgia witness raised constitutional, deterrence and wrongful-conviction concerns. When discussion resumed, the vice chair opposed the bill as unconstitutional. The Cherokee Judicial Circuit district attorney agreed and said prosecutors could not seek unconstitutional punishment. The measure failed for lack of a motion.
Status timeline
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- David Clark (R, HD-100)
- Tyler Paul Smith (R, HD-18)
- Joseph Gullett (R, HD-19)
- Alan Powell (R, HD-33)
- Derrick McCollum (R, HD-30)
- Karen Mathiak (R, HD-82)
Topics
- death penalty
- human trafficking
- criminal sentencing
- criminal procedure