Thomas Hawk via Foter.com / CC BY-NC
Licensing of massage parlors could be in the offing amid worries about human trafficking and prostitution.
Rep. Byron Short, D-north Wilmington, stated that he was approached by a constituent raising the issue of massage parlors open late at night on Philadelphia Pike Illegal activity such as prostitution and human trafficking has been reportedly taking place at some of these establishments, he stated in a press release.
After conversations with State Police, Attorney General Matt Denn and the State Department of Health and Social Services, Short plans to introduce a bill to license massage parlors.
See copy of bill below:
[pdf-embedder url=”http://delawarebusinessnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/HB35.pdf”]
House Bill 35 would define a “massage establishment” and allow the Board of Massage and Bodywork to license massage establishments, adopt rules and regulations for maintenance and standards of massage establishments, inspect massage establishments, and engage in disciplinary sanctions.
Currently, only the individuals working at the establishments are licensed and regulated by the board. The owners of the parlors are not typically subject to any penalties, and continue to operate after an arrest is made, but that would change under the new licensing requirement.
State Police, acting on complaints, have made many arrests around the state in undercover operations regarding prostitution at some establishments
“In our conversations with residents and law enforcement, we learned that there are some massage parlors open late at night, and often prostitution and other illegal activity are happening. What we found even more disturbing is that we have human trafficking taking place, with women being held against their free will and housed at the parlors,” said Short. “These illicit parlors are often located in nondescript suburban settings, nestled right in our communities. Under our current code, it’s very difficult for law enforcement to go after these establishments directly.”
“By requiring massage establishments to be licensed, we will enable officials to inspect these facilities for safety and sanitation, respond to complaints and close down these parlors. Our goal is to make it impossible for these kinds of illicit businesses to operate in Delaware and to protect the real, professional massage establishments in our state who have a role in keeping people healthy.”
The bill has sponsors from both parties.
“Unfortunately, some massage establishments are the location of criminal activity, including human trafficking. It is not a victimless crime when people are forced into prostitution,” said Attorney General Denn. “Legislators have brought suspected illicit practices to the attention of DOJ in recent years, and we have taken action against some individual sites. And we have also worked with legislators to propose this licensing and inspection program that will have the goal of identifying and reducing the criminal activities that we have reason to believe are occurring here.”
HB 35 has been assigned to the House Policy Analysis & Government Accountability Committee.
