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.