ATLANTA - Last year, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that teachers could legally engage in sexual relationships with students 16 or older if the sex is consensual. Judges based the ruling on how a Georgia law was written, which allows consent to be used as a defense for teachers involved with students.

A bill co-sponsored by state Rep. Rich Golick (R-Smyrna), HB 571, would outlaw consensual student-teacher sex. The state legislature passed the bill on Tuesday 153-1, which now awaits the signature of Gov. Sonny Perdue. The bill removes consent as a defense and once again makes it a crime for teachers to have sex with their students.

"Parents must be secure in the knowledge that their children will not be engaging in sexual conduct with a teacher. This new law will help ensure that teenage students will not be victimized in the future," Golick said.

Cobb District Attorney Pat Head said he was "very glad" the legislature passed the bill.

When the High Court issued its decision in Chase v. The State, they ruled that, based on the way the law was written at the time, consent was a defense that was available to teachers and others.

"That created a terrible situation that, in essence, allowed teachers to have sex with students who were 16 or older. As I believe we would all agree, that is totally unacceptable behavior," Head said.