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

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.

• 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.

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.

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.

• 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.

1. 2026-05-06Effective Date 2026-07-01
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)

• Brian Strickland (R, SD-042)Primary sponsor
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)
• Bo Hatchett (R, SD-050)
• Timothy Bearden (R, SD-030)
• Ricky Williams (R, SD-025)
• John Albers (R, SD-056)
• Tyler Smith (R, HD-018)

1. PassedSenate voteMarch 6, 2026

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

   Passage: Senate Vote #668

2. PassedHouse voteMarch 25, 2026

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

   Passage: House Vote #761

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