Georgia CommonsHB 490: Crimes and offenses; required human trafficking training program for hotels; provide
Last action March 6, 2026 · House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute
A Georgia House bill would require hotel employees and short-term rental managers to complete annual human trafficking awareness training, with fines for owners who willfully ignore the rules.
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 Comm Sub version, the latest LegiScan holds.
In plain language
Georgia law currently has no statewide requirement that hotel staff or short-term rental managers receive training on recognizing human trafficking. This bill, called the Georgia Human Trafficking Prevention Training Act, adds a new section to the state's innkeeper law requiring on-site inn employees and third-party managers of short-term rentals (like Airbnb-style properties) to complete annual human trafficking awareness training, developed by the Attorney General's office in consultation with the hotel industry and law enforcement. Owners, operators, and managers must also adopt reporting procedures, post required human trafficking hotline notices, and keep training records for review. The Attorney General's office can fine owners who willfully violate the rules, with penalties rising from $500 for a first offense to $2,000 for a third. Properties managed solely by their owner, or rented fewer than 15 days a year, are exempt. The law would take effect July 1, 2026.
What the bill does
- Requires all on-site inn employees and third-party short-term rental managers in Georgia to complete annual human trafficking awareness training within 60 days of hire and yearly thereafter.
- Directs the Attorney General's office, working with the Georgia Hotel and Lodging Association and others, to create or approve the required training curriculum.
- Requires inn and short-term rental owners, operators, and managers to adopt procedures for reporting suspected trafficking to the National Human Trafficking Hotline or local police.
- Requires posting of human trafficking hotline information as already required under O.C.G.A. § 16-5-47, with local law enforcement assisting enforcement.
- Requires retention of employee training records for the length of employment plus one year, to be provided to the Attorney General's office within ten business days of a written request.
- Authorizes administrative fines of $500 to $2,000 for owners, operators, or managers who willfully and knowingly violate the training requirements.
Who it affects
Hotel and inn owners, operators, and on-site employees in Georgia; third-party managers of short-term rental properties such as vacation rentals; hosting platforms that facilitate short-term rentals; and the Attorney General's office and local law enforcement agencies involved in enforcement.
Why it matters
Hospitality workers would gain formal training to recognize and report signs of human trafficking, potentially improving detection at hotels and short-term rentals. Property owners and managers face new compliance costs and possible fines, though small owner-operated rentals and those rented under 15 days a year are excused from the rules.
Key provisions
- Section 1 names the law the 'Georgia Human Trafficking Prevention Training Act.'
- New Code Section 43-21-16(b) requires annual training for inn employees and short-term rental managers, with a grace period for those already trained before July 1, 2026.
- Subsection (c) lists required training content, including how to identify trafficking victims and perpetrators and hotline contact information.
- Subsection (d) requires owners and managers to adopt reporting procedures for suspected trafficking.
- Subsection (e) requires compliance with existing posting requirements (O.C.G.A. § 16-5-47) with law enforcement assistance.
- Subsection (f) requires retention of training records for the employment period plus one year, producible to the Attorney General's office within ten business days.
- Subsection (g) clarifies the law does not create a private right to sue and does not limit trafficking victims' existing legal remedies.
- Subsection (h) sets escalating administrative penalties ($500, $1,000, $2,000) for willful violations, and subsection (i) exempts owner-managed properties and rentals under 15 days a year.
From the bill
“All on-site employees of an inn and every third-party property manager of a short-term rental property in this state shall be required to receive annual human trafficking awareness training within 60 days of employment and on an annual basis thereafter”
“Nothing in this Code section shall be construed as creating a private cause of action against an inn, or its employees, for any act or omission arising out of the requirements of this Code section”
“For a first violation, $500.00; (B) For a second violation, $1,000.00; and (C) For a third or subsequent violation, $2,000.00.”
Status timeline
- House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
- House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
- House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
- House Withdrawn, Recommitted (House)
- House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
- House Second Readers (House)
Show full history (10 actions)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Debra Bazemore (D, HD-069)
- 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)
Topics
- human trafficking prevention
- hotel regulations
- short-term rentals
- employee training requirements
- tourism industry