Georgia state senators want to make it a felony for anyone to pay a prostitute for sex or for anyone to facilitate prostitution by pimping.
The Senate voted 33-16 on Tuesday to approve Senate Bill 36, sending it to the House for more debate.
Right now, a first offense of pimping or paying for sex, legally called pandering, is a high and aggravated misdemeanor under Georgia law, requiring at least 72 hours in jail.
The bill makes both crimes felonies punishable by 1 to 10 years in prison, although the bill doesn’t bar a judge from suspending a sentence or ordering someone onto probation.
A second offense for either is already a felony. But a judge would now be required to sentence someone to at least a year in prison unless a prosecutor recommends less.
