ATLANTA— State Representative Edward Lindsey (R-Atlanta) today released the following statement regarding the governor’s signing of House Bill 200:
“I want to thank Governor Deal for not only signing this legislation today, but for holding a bill signing event to highlight the serious problem of human trafficking. Often times this horrible practice involves young people who are pulled into a dark web of sexual servitude by those that seek to prey upon them.
“HB 200 seeks to deliver cold justice to traffickers and warm compassion to victims. It is the result of many peoples’ efforts and I would like to take a moment to thank some of them.
“I would like to recognize the victims whose stories paint a disturbing portrait of this horrible crime. Kristina Beard cannot be here for this bill signing event today because she lost her life to human trafficking, but her father Eric is here on her behalf to symbolize the urgency of this legislation.
“Many churches and religious organizations have been at the forefront of combating this problem, including North Avenue Presbyterian Church, the Catholic Arch Diocese, the Episcopal Diocese, the Greater Atlanta Presbytery, the United Methodist Church, and, of course, Street Grace.
“We also should recognize the efforts of such organizations as Georgia Women for Change, Concerned Women of America, the Sister to Sister Mentoring Program, Circle of Hope, Tapestri, the Georgia PTA, League of Women Voters, the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys, and the Georgia Commission on Family Violence.
“Finally, we need to acknowledge the enormous individual efforts of Henry County Solicitor-General Chuck Spahos, Mary Beth Westmoreland of the Attorney General’s Office, Jill Travis from Legislative Counsel’s Office, and our Senate Sponsor Renee Unterman. Each of them have worked on this issue for many years. Lastly, we acknowledge our new Attorney General Sam Olens, who recognized this as a priority for his office even before he was sworn in.
“Along with Governor Deal and his office, this has truly been a team effort. We should not deceive ourselves into believing that HB 200 is the last word on this terrible problem, but should be thankful for our joint efforts at this great stride forward.”
Representative Edward Lindsey was elected by the Republican Caucus as their Majority Whip, the fourth highest ranking position in House leadership, on December 17, 2009. He represents the citizens of House District 54, which includes portions of Atlanta and Sandy Springs. He was elected into the House of Representatives in 2004, and currently serves on the Rules, Appropriations, Education, Ethics, Industrial Relations, and Judiciary committees.
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