Nassau County Democrats have introduced a comprehensive bill designed to establish the most stringent regulations on massage parlors in New York, focusing on combating human trafficking. The proposed "Nassau County Anti-Human Trafficking Prevention and Victim Prevention Act" seeks to hold not only the establishments but also their landlords and enablers accountable.
The legislation, unveiled by the Democratic minority, would mandate that massage parlors maintain licensing, keep detailed employee payroll records, and prohibit anyone from residing on the premises. Violators would face escalating fines, potentially reaching $25,000. A key provision targets property owners whose locations are repeatedly investigated for sex trafficking, opening them to legal action.
"For far too long, too much of our response to trafficking has focused on the person with the least power — the woman being exploited gets arrested, the storefront gets raided, and then too often the people running the operation, enabling it and knowingly providing the location, simply disappear into the background," said Nassau County Legislator Viviana Russell. "The victim should not be the easiest person in the room to punish — our laws need to recognize the entire operation, not just the person trapped in the bottom of it."
Fines collected under the proposed act would fund a new human trafficking victim assistance program. This fund would provide resources such as emergency housing, counseling, transportation, legal services, workforce development, and language assistance for survivors.
The bill also proposes the creation of a countywide human trafficking response working group. This group would convene law enforcement, prosecutors, social services, health professionals, educators, and survivor advocates to coordinate victim identification, prosecution of traffickers, and the provision of services to survivors.
This initiative builds upon an existing Nassau County law that addresses sex trafficking in hotels and motels. That law bans hourly bookings, requires detailed guest logs, mandates preservation of security footage, and increases penalties for illicit operators.
The proposed legislation is currently under review by the Republican majority in the Nassau County Legislature. Presiding Officer Howard Kopel and his Republican colleagues will determine if the bill will be brought to a vote next month.