Convicted human traffickers and prostitution offenders could no longer reopen massage and bodywork businesses under new names in Montgomery County under legislation introduced Tuesday at the county council.

Bill 34-26, sponsored by Councilmember Dawn Luedtke, targets a loophole that lets operators shut down after a police raid or license revocation, then launch a new LLC and obtain a fresh license at a different address. The bill would require every applicant to disclose all corporate officers and business managers and would bar licenses for anyone convicted of trafficking or prostitution offenses, or anyone who previously ran a bodywork establishment that lost its license.

The enforcement numbers behind the bill are substantial. Since June 2024, the county has issued at least 40 civil citations to 25 spas and charged at least 13 spa owners with felony offenses for aiding and abetting illegal massage operations, according to MyMCMedia. Two additional businesses were cited for illegal operations during the licensing process itself.

Sgt. Melissa Maines of the Montgomery County Police Department's Vice and Intelligence Unit said investigators have found that owners tied to illegal activity often reopen at new locations after enforcement actions. Maines said the bill would help prevent repeat offenses and support legitimate businesses by making it harder for illegal operators to blend in.

The county first created a bodywork licensing system in 2015 after establishments emerged as fronts for trafficking. But the current code does little to stop someone associated with a shuttered operation from starting over. In a July 13 letter to council colleagues, Luedtke described the gap: "A troubling gap remains in which individuals associated with bodyworks establishments that have engaged in human trafficking or related criminal activity are still able to open new establishments under different business entities or LLCs, allowing the cycle of exploitation to continue."

Council President Natali Fani-González and Councilmembers Kate Stewart and Sidney Katz are cosponsors. The bill has been referred to the Joint Public Safety and Health and Human Services Committee for review.

Residents who suspect trafficking activity can contact the Montgomery County Police non-emergency line at 301-279-8000 or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.