Government & Politics

County Council to hear bill to prevent illegal spas, address human trafficking

Plus: Council to vote on legislation related to ghost guns, carrying in public places; Luedtke to introduce bill extending HERO act benefits to other first responders

Ashlyn Campbell

July 21, 2026 8:51 a.m.

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Montgomery County Council will hear a bill Tuesday introduced by Councilmember Dawn Luedtke (D-Dist. 7) aimed at addressing human trafficking by preventing spas from being open by people with human trafficking or prostitution-related offenses.

“This bill would aid in our ongoing effort to combat human trafficking by helping prevent repeat offenders from reopening and continuing their illegal operations within the County,” Sgt. Melissa Maines of the county police department’s Vice and Intelligence Unit said in a press release.

The council will meet at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in the Stella Werner Council Office Building in Rockville for its regular weekly business meeting.

Here’s what to expect:

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Bill aimed at preventing illegal spas to be introduced

According to County Council documents, Bill-34-26 was developed in consultation with the county police who said that the department has issued 40 citations to 25 spas and charged 12 spa owners with felony offenses related to abetting illegal massage operations since June 2024.

The bill would require applicants for a bodyworks establishment license to disclose all corporate officers and business managers to the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HHS would then be prohibited from issuing a license if a corporate officer or business manager has been convicted of, pleaded guilty to or otherwise been found responsible for human trafficking or prostitution-related offenses.

According to the documents, spa applicants would be ineligible if a corporate officer or business owner previously owned a spa where the license was revoked.

Luedtke is introducing the bill, which is co-sponsored by President Natali Fani-González (D-Dist. 6) and Councilmembers Kate Stewart (D-Dist. 4) and Sidney Katz (D-Dist. 3).

Council expected to vote on ghost guns, firearm carry law

According to a Monday press release and County Council documents, the council is expected to vote on expedited Bill 23-26, which would define terms related to weapons and firearms, regulate the sale or transfer of ghost guns for minors and amends rules surrounding carrying guns in places of public assembly.

The bill’s aim is to bring county law into alignment with a recent Maryland Supreme Court decision.

Engage Armament LLC, et al. v. Montgomery County, Maryland began in May 2021, when nine plaintiffs challenged a local law that effectively banned ghost guns in the county. Another local law restricting where people can carry guns later became part of the case.

The case made it to the Supreme Court of Maryland, which issued an opinion April 28 invalidating certain aspects of both laws, including the county’s definition of a ghost gun and its definition of “places of public assembly” where guns are restricted.

Luedtke on May 12 introduced a bill she said would align the local law with the county’s authority under state law.

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If Luedtke’s bill passes on Tuesday, the county’s definition of a “place of public assembly” would no longer include hospitals, community health centers, long-term care facilities and child care facilities. Gun regulation in those places falls to the state.

People would still be prohibited from bringing guns within 100 yards of a park, place of worship, school, library, recreational facility, multipurpose exhibition facility, polling place, courthouse or legislative assembly under Luedtke’s proposal.

Councilmembers to introduce bill amending HERO act

Councilmembers Glass and Katz introduced the HERO Act in October to honor of Master Firefighter Christopher Higgins, a 23-year veteran of the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service who died after suffering a medical emergency while fighting a house fire.

The HERO Act made it so survivor benefits were payable immediately upon a line-of-duty death. It will also require the county to begin paying benefits to survivors by the first of the month after a survivor selects a benefit option, if benefits aren’t paid before then.

Bill 32-26 will be introduced during the council meeting Tuesday, with an aim of extending the same benefits enumerated in the HERO act to families and children of deputy sheriffs, correctional officers, or certain emergency communications center personnel who are killed in the line of duty, according to County Council documents. Councilmembers Luedtke, Katz and Evan Glass (D-At-large) sponsored the bill.

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine