Naughty massages in non-licensed massage parlors are part of the sex trade, familiar as the practice might be to customers of those parlors.
“Our board’s primary concerns continue to be sex trafficking, prostitution, ” said Yvonee Laird, the executive director of the massage board. She told the state Senate Appropriations Committee Monday, that her agency doesn’t have the authority to prosecute for prostitution, but with the help of the FBI has been able to track down some of the people involved.
“We were able to track back the owners of these illicit businesses , rather than just the licensees. We have two individuals that are currently in prison,” she said.
But, with the illicit massage parlors being owned by out of state companies, the people responsible for the adult massages often don’t come from Mississippi, as was the case with the people of whom she spoke.
“This has resulted in more show-cause hearings. In many instances we have to have interpreters.”
And that’s where the extra cost comes in.
It cost the board about 1200 bucks for an interpreter who could translate from English to Cantonese and also in reverse. The Board is asking your lawmakers for just a bit more of your tax money in return for stopping what amounts to human trafficking.