Montgomery County Councilmember Dawn Luedtke is introducing legislation aimed at preventing individuals connected to human trafficking and prostitution-related offenses from opening new bodywork establishments in the county.
The bill would require applicants to disclose all corporate officers and business managers, while prohibiting licenses for businesses tied to people convicted of human trafficking, prostitution-related crimes, or those who previously owned or managed a bodyworks establishment that lost its license.
The proposal, Bill 34-26, was developed with input from the Montgomery County Police Department, the County’s Human Trafficking Prevention Committee and the Department of Health and Human Services. County officials say the measure closes a loophole that has allowed operators of illegal massage and bodywork businesses to reopen under new names after enforcement actions. Since June 2024, Montgomery County has issued at least 40 civil citations to 25 spas, charged at least 13 spa owners with felony offenses related to illegal massage operations and cited two businesses during the licensing process. The bill is cosponsored by Council President Natali Fani-González and Councilmembers Kate Stewart and Sidney Katz, with a public hearing scheduled for Sept. 15.
