Although

this year's term of the Georgia General Assembly is just underway, Sen.

Donzella James, D-College Park, has already been quite busy.

James has

coauthored a bill that would tighten up the law surrounding the minimum

wage.

James' bill

would strike several exceptions in the law. Employers would now be required

to pay the minimum wage if:

- The

employer has sales of $40,000 per year or less.

- The

employer has five employees or less.

- Any

employer of domestic employees.

- Any

employee who is a high school or college student.

- Any

individual who is employed as a newspaper carrier.

James also

has set her sights on trying to crack down on teenage prostitution and

pimping in the state. She has authored a bill that would increase the

fines for such activities.

The ordinance

stipulates that a person convicted of pimping or pandering when the

offense involves the pimping for or the solicitation of a person under

the age of 18 years would be guilty of a felony and would be imprisoned

for a period of not less than five years nor more than 20 years, or

both fined and imprisoned.

The minimum

sentence would be increased by two years for each year in age that the

victim is below 17. The individual would be fined not less than $2,500

nor more than $10,000 plus three times all proceeds from any acts of

pimping or pandering.

James also

wants to put an end to racial profiling.

Under her

proposed legislation, law enforcement officers would not be able to

use a person's race or ethnicity to form probable cause or reasonable

suspension to stop a vehicle, but could use a person's race or ethnicity

to confirm a previously obtained description of a suspect.

The ordinance

reads that each state and local law enforcement agency would adopt a

policy and implement an annual training program regarding racial profiling.

The program

would provide and instruct that a law enforcement officer shall not

use a person's race or ethnicity to form probable cause or reasonable

suspicion to stop a vehicle.