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Senate · Passed · 2025-2026 Regular Session

SB 547: Offenses of Pimping and Pandering; modify the penalties

Last action July 1, 2026 · Effective Date

A Georgia Senate bill would make certain pimping and pandering offenses felonies for every offense, ending the current rule that let a first offense be treated as a lesser misdemeanor.

Read the full bill text

These buttons carry the bill's own text, not the summaries below. Copy for LLM, View as markdown, and Send to AI use the Markdown version: the text as filed, then the summaries under a heading that names them as ours. View raw is the text alone.

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 Enrolled version, the latest the General Assembly's website lists.

In plain language

Under current Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 16-6-13), penalties for violations of the pimping and pandering statutes (Code Sections 16-6-9 through 16-6-12) vary. Violations of Code Section 16-6-11 and Code Section 16-6-12 currently allow a first offense to be punished as a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature, with only a second or later offense treated as a felony carrying one to ten years in prison. This bill removes that first-offense misdemeanor option. It rewrites the penalty section so that any conviction under Code Section 16-6-11 or 16-6-12, first offense or not, is a felony punishable by one to ten years in prison. Violations of Code Section 16-6-10 remain a high and aggravated misdemeanor with a mandatory minimum of 24 hours, and violations of Code Section 16-6-9 remain a plain misdemeanor, both unchanged. The changes take effect July 1, 2026, and apply only to offenses committed on or after that date.

What the bill does

  • Removes the current rule that let a first offense under Code Section 16-6-11 or 16-6-12 be punished as a misdemeanor instead of a felony.
  • Makes every conviction under Code Section 16-6-11 or 16-6-12 a felony, punishable by one to ten years in prison, regardless of whether it is a first offense.
  • Leaves the penalty for Code Section 16-6-10 unchanged: a high and aggravated misdemeanor with a mandatory minimum 24-hour sentence that a judge may otherwise suspend or probate.
  • Leaves the penalty for Code Section 16-6-9 unchanged as a standard misdemeanor.
  • Sets the changes to take effect July 1, 2026, applying only to offenses committed on or after that date.

Who it affects

People charged or convicted under Georgia's pimping and pandering statutes (O.C.G.A. §§ 16-6-9 through 16-6-12), prosecutors and judges handling these cases, and defense attorneys, since sentencing options and mandatory minimums for repeat versus first-time offenders under Code Sections 16-6-11 and 16-6-12 would change.

Why it matters

A person charged for the first time under Code Section 16-6-11 or 16-6-12 would no longer face a possible misdemeanor outcome; they would face a felony conviction and one to ten years in prison from the first offense, changing both potential prison time and the long-term record consequences of a felony conviction.

Key provisions

  • Section 1 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 16-6-13(a) to remove the prior exception referencing subsection (b) and to eliminate the first-offense misdemeanor tier for Code Sections 16-6-11 and 16-6-12.
  • Section 1 keeps Code Section 16-6-10 punishable as a high and aggravated misdemeanor with a mandatory 24-hour minimum that a judge may suspend, stay, or probate at their discretion.
  • Section 1 keeps Code Section 16-6-9 punishable as a standard misdemeanor.
  • Section 1 makes any violation of Code Section 16-6-11 or 16-6-12 a felony punishable by one to ten years in prison, with no distinction for first offenses.
  • Section 2 sets the effective date as July 1, 2026, applying only to offenses committed on or after that date.
  • Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.

From the bill

“A person convicted of violating: (1) Code Section 16-6-10 shall be punished as for a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature”

Shows that pandering-related offenses under Code Section 16-6-10 keep their current misdemeanor penalty.

“shall be guilty of a felony and shall be punished by a term of imprisonment of not less than one year nor more than ten years.”

Sets the new felony-only penalty range for offenses under Code Sections 16-6-11 and 16-6-12.

Discussed in meetings (13)

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.

  1. Senate Judiciary Committee, March 2, 2026

    From 0:47:37 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said the bill would make first-offense pimping and pandering felonies punishable by one to 10 years, replacing the current first-offense misdemeanor treatment. The sponsor linked the change to efforts against human trafficking and credited students from the Forest School with bringing forward ideas. In response to questions, the sponsor confirmed that prostitution and keeping a place of prostitution would remain misdemeanors and that the bill contained no separate age-based provisions. The sponsor said nonprofits had been consulted but the first lady had not been consulted directly. A Street Grace witness argued that felony penalties would reduce demand and encourage enforcement. The witness cited research suggesting that 80% of buyers would be deterred by incarceration, compared with 17% by fines, and said Texas experienced an eightfold increase in buyer arrests after making pandering a felony. A Gwinnett County Police Department witness described difficulties proving trafficking when victims fear or remain attached to exploiters, including cases involving adult victims. The witness also described social media recruitment and related violent crimes. The acting chair curtailed further testimony because members needed to leave for another meeting. The committee passed the bill unanimously.

  2. Senate Rules Committee, March 5, 2026

    From 0:21:36 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 547 would make pimping and pandering felonies on the first offense as part of efforts against human trafficking. Responding to the chair, the sponsor said students in Fayette County had proposed the idea. The committee unanimously included the bill in the floor-calendar package.

  3. Senate floor session, March 6, 2026 (legislative day 28, part 1)

    From 7:41:52 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the bill's status history (Senate Tabled)

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 547 would make a first offense of pimping or pandering a felony rather than a high and aggravated misdemeanor. The sponsor argued that these offenses support sex trafficking and that stronger penalties would address demand. The sponsor credited anti-trafficking advocates and students with proposing the change. No questions or opposing speeches followed. The Senate passed the bill, 48 to 0.

  4. House Judiciary Non-Civil Committee, March 18, 2026

    From 0:57:50 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 547 would make first offenses of pimping and pandering felonies rather than high and aggravated misdemeanors, arguing that stronger penalties would help combat trafficking. The sponsor credited students at the Forest School with proposing the change. A witness for the ACLU of Georgia warned that the existing definition of pimping could reach people who knowingly accept gifts from sex workers or provide transportation without coercion or exploitation. The witness suggested retaining the current pimping penalty while increasing the pandering penalty. A Street Grace witness supported stronger penalties, saying misdemeanor charges discourage resource-intensive investigations. The witness cited an eightfold increase in Texas enforcement operations after a 2022 change and a two-city study reporting fewer purchase attempts where enforcement was active: 16 versus 215 in 2025 and 37 versus 95 in 2026. A witness for She’s My Sister South Atlanta said youth ambassadors spent more than 300 hours studying trafficking. That witness said recruitment often begins at ages 12 to 14 and that difficult-to-prove trafficking cases may instead produce misdemeanor pimping or pandering charges. Members asked no substantive questions. No amendment was offered, and the committee approved the bill by voice vote without a stated count.

  5. House Rules Committee, March 20, 2026

    From 0:41:38 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The sponsor said SB 547 would make a first offense of pimping or pandering a felony rather than a high and aggravated misdemeanor. The sponsor described the change as a way to combat human trafficking. There were no questions or recorded vote.

  6. House Rules Committee, March 25, 2026

    From 0:41:44 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The committee placed SB 547 on the day's calendar without objection after a motion and second. There was no discussion of the bill's contents.

  7. House floor session, March 25, 2026 (legislative day 37, PM)

    From 1:47:58 · Watch on the General Assembly's Vimeo channel · Confirmed by the 2026 House Journal, p. 3168

    Summary by Georgia Commons: The presenter said the bill would make pimping and pandering felonies punishable by one to 10 years in prison, including first offenses that current law treats as misdemeanors. The presenter argued that upcoming major events could increase these offenses and that stronger penalties would deter exploitation. One member supported imposing serious consequences from the outset. Another asked for a definition of pandering and whether the law would cover online activity. The presenter referred to the existing statutory definition, described pandering as related to sexual solicitation, and said application to online conduct would depend on the circumstances and case law. The House passed the bill, 166-2.

Status timeline

  1. 2026-07-01Effective Date
  2. 2026-05-06Act 417
  3. 2026-05-06Senate Date Signed by Governor (Senate)
  4. 2026-04-10Senate Sent to Governor (Senate)
  5. 2026-03-25House Passed/Adopted (House)
  6. 2026-03-25House Third Readers (House)
  7. 2026-03-19House Committee Favorably Reported (House)
  8. 2026-03-10House Second Readers (House)
Show full history (17 actions)
  1. 2026-03-09House First Readers (House)
  2. 2026-03-06Senate Passed/Adopted (Senate)
  3. 2026-03-06Senate Third Read (Senate)
  4. 2026-03-06Senate Taken from Table (Senate)
  5. 2026-03-06Senate Tabled (Senate)
  6. 2026-03-04Senate Read Second Time (Senate)
  7. 2026-03-03Senate Committee Favorably Reported (Senate)
  8. 2026-02-24Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
  9. 2026-02-20Senate Hopper (Senate)

Sponsors

  • Brian Strickland (R, SD-42)Primary sponsor
  • Randy Robertson (R, SD-29)
  • Bo Hatchett (R, SD-50)
  • Timothy Bearden (R, SD-30)
  • Rick Williams (R, SD-25)
  • John Albers (R, SD-56)
  • Tyler Paul Smith (R, HD-18)

Votes

  1. PassedSenate voteMarch 6, 2026

    48 yea, 0 nay (3 not voting, 4 excused)

    PASSAGE: Senate Vote #668

  2. PassedHouse voteMarch 25, 2026

    166 yea, 2 nay (1 not voting, 7 excused)

    PASSAGE: House Vote #761

Topics

  • pimping and pandering law
  • criminal penalties
  • human trafficking related offenses
  • Georgia criminal code

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