COLUMBUS, Oh. - A legislative initiative to further regulate adult businesses in Ohio passed the state Senate with ease on Tuesday, despite opposing testimony from some strip-club owners and dancers.
According to the Cincinnati Enquirer, the bill now moves to the Ohio House. If it passes both chambers, it can become law.
The new, more stringent regulations would order clubs to stop providing entertainment at midnight (clubs with liquor licenses could remain open, but not offer adult entertainment), as well as require dancers to maintain a heavy 6-foot distance from patrons at all times. Violation of either provision would be a first-degree misdemeanor.
Several adult business owners testified in opposition to the bill before a Senate committee Tuesday morning, the Enquirer reported.
"The restrictions that are being proposed are currently covered by House Bill 23 and the draft ordinance from the Attorney General's Offices," said Tom Klein, state vice president of Ohio Licensed Beverage Association and adult club owner from Cleveland. "If there are problems, local law enforcement has the tools to close adult entertainment businesses."
The ultra-conservative Citizens for Community Values (CCV) is spearheading the campaign to push the bill forward, and some business owners in opposition of the bill spoke directly about the conservative group.
"Let's be honest: CCV doesn't want to empower local governments, it wants to close down all forms of adult entertainment and continue promoting its narrow social agenda," Luke Liakos, the president of the Buckeye Association of Club Executives, told the Enquirer.
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