hour "fact-finding mission" inside some topless bars. KTAR Radio talk show host and former Arizona Republic columnist David Leibowitz acted as host and picked up the tab.
"I really think it's pretty tame," said Rep. Christine Weason, D-Phoenix, inside the Hi-Liter show club in Phoenix. "I'm not offended by it a bit, and I definitely don't see any criminal activity."
Leibowitz organized the task force to poke fun at a pair of House bills, House Bill 2360 and House Bill 2297, that seek not only to regulate exotic dancing but the sexual arousal of patrons.
Joining Weason were Sen. Randall Gnant, R-Scottsdale; Rep. Carolyn Allen, R-Scottsdale; Linda Binder, R-Lake Havasu City; Ken Cheuvront, D-Phoenix; and Steve May, R-Phoenix.
More than being good sports, the lawmakers tried to send a message to their more conservative colleagues who they say have routinely tried to legislate morality.
"As a gay man whose life is always being attacked by right-wingers, I want to stand up for the law-abiding citizens who frequent these places," Cheuvront said.
Allen, while taking in the spectacle, was saddened by the dancers.
"I support their right to do what they want for a living, but the feminist in me is a little sad," Allen said. "I wouldn't want to walk in here and see my granddaughter up there."
The fact-finding may have been for naught. The turgidity bills have been taken off the House floor calendars.
Mike Ross confirms that those two Arizona bills have, indeed, been killed.
Ross: "Here's the thing. I don't know what the guy did, but I have a feeling it was more of a consumer education-thing: look, what you're legislature is doing. I know the bills are dead. But I've also been told through various sources that they're thinking about bringing tham back through amendments. But the information that I'm getting from lobbyists that we have there are that the bills are dead.
"This week we finalized the Arizona Adult Entertainment Industry Education Fund. We have a bank account. We're starting to raise money. I have my phone bank next week which is going to call everybody in Arizona and talk to them about contributing so we can start putting money aside to fight these things. Arizona is a hot bed for all this stuff. The upshot to the whole thing is that the industry was never professionally organized or was not as it should have been. Now we're registered with the Secretary of state's office. We have a lobbyist who's advising us; a lobbyist who's working for us there. We have three people on the board of directors who are going to help us do things and oversee the money. - everything you need to do to make sure that this doesn't happen.
"Florida [Tampa] we got caught with our pants down. The upshiot is that we're organized and ready to go. I don't think the amendments are going to come out this year but anything's possible based on the fact they can always waive rules. That's part of process, but we're watching for that. We're paying somebody big money to do that.
