For a capital city named after one of the primary authors of America's freedoms, an amazing amount of liberty-suppressing legislation is working its way through the legislature there.
AVN's correspondent reports that as of last week, the state Senate version of HB 353, the non-tax-burdened anti-adult bill, was bottled up in the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Civil and Criminal Jurisprudence, with the bill's author, Sen. Matt Bartle, threatening to filibuster all other legislation until his bill was reported out. The threat apparently worked; the bill was reported out of that committee – and promptly bottled up in the Senate Rules Committee.
"On Monday Bartle pulled out the stops to get HB 353 on the Senate calendar, which he did," reports Nellie Symm-Gruender, co-owner of Passion Video and part of the Missouri Association of Club Executives lobbying effort. "When it came to the floor, Democratic Sen. Chuck Graham from Booneville headed up a filibuster with fellow Dems Maida Coleman and Rita Days, both representing St. Louis and Rita Days. Gene [Gruender] and I have worked closely with Graham on these bills and he agreed to talk the bill to death. Coleman and Days are part of the Senate's Black Caucus, and dislike the bill on many fronts besides its anti-adult aspect."
"Between Graham doing most of the talking and Days and Coleman giving him a break, they talked for well over six hours," she continued. "Subjects of the filibuster ranged from Graham's father's divorces, to Native-American and Amish culture to mail-order brides. During the fray, about 15 more amendments were added to the bill that have nothing to do with the adult business. Bartle led a scathing and at times very personal attack against Graham, Day, Coleman, and even our lobbyists. In the end, Senate Majority Leader Charlie Shields (R-St Joseph) called a meeting during which Graham again got ripped to shreds, and demanded that a vote be called. There was some kind of deal struck and the vote was called. It passed 30-1, with Graham being the dissenting vote."
With versions of HB 353 now having been passed by both the Missouri House and Senate, it now goes to a conference committee of the two houses – where one of the Senate conferees is sure to be Bartle himself.
As for the bill that started the whole controversy, SB 32, the anti-adult bill that would also impose entrance fees and gross receipts taxes on adult businesses, it is apparently still bottled up in the House Committee on Local Government, and Symm-Gruender says she has high hopes that it will remain there.
But HB 353, as of this afternoon, was in the House-Senate Conference Committee, and Symm-Gruender expects it to be reported out for a final vote before the legislative session ends at 6 p.m. on Friday.
"Our assumption is that some form of this bill will be passed out to the House for a vote and will come back to the Senate again," Symm-Gruender assessed. "Bartle remains like a little dog with a big bone. He's going to drag this along for all he's worth until he gets what he wants. We are resigned to the fact that some form of this bill will succeed, and we're already preparing to file suit, if need be, to stop this horrible piece of legislation."
Missouri residents and businesspersons are urged to write or call their legislators to ask that HB 353 and SB 32 be killed. And while contacts from Missouri residents will have the most effect on those legislators, all adults interested in keeping adult material available for Missouri adults should feel free to express their views as well. Addresses and phone numbers for legislators can be found on the Missouri Assembly's Website, http://www.moga.state.mo.us/ -- but please do it quickly. The deadline is end of business Friday, but HB 353 may come up for a vote at any time between now and then.
The Free Speech Coalition, the Adult Freedom Foundation and the Association of Club Executives urge all Missouri citizens to be proactive on this important issue.
