Three West Virginia delegates are introducing a bill that would limit the activities of "sexually oriented businesses" in West Virginia.
Delegates Kelli Sobonya, R-Cabell; Ruth Rowan, R-Hampshire and Doug Reynolds, D-Cabell, introduced House Bill 2274, relating to the operation and activity of sexually oriented businesses.
Reynolds said the inspiration of the bill came from a recent attempt for such a business to move into the Cabell County district served by Reynolds and Sobyona.
"It's often a thorny issue and I try to generally not tell people how to live their lives or that kind of thing. I don't think that's government's most effective role," Reynolds said. "I would like to see us do something to address some of the collateral problems that seem to come out of these places."
Then bill points to higher crime rates, encouragement of prostitution and increased likelihood of drug abuse as reasons to tighten restrictions on businesses such as strip clubs and adult book stores.
"If you look at, in Huntington, at least, there is a lot of crime around these types of business," Reynolds said. "That's a stab toward trying to do something about it."
Brian M. Powell, a West Virginia Twitter user highly engaged in West Virginia government and politics, prompted a conversation about the bill with Reynolds on Twitter Thursday. Powell goes by the Twitter username "bitmapped."
"I'm disappointed to see that HB 2724 has been reintroduced this year. This bill claims to "promote the morals […] of the citizens of the state" by limiting the hours and operations of strip clubs and other adult businesses," Powell said. "Its real purpose is to drive these establishments out of business. Many West Virginians do patronize these businesses and don't need to legislators to impose their own personal beliefs on them."
Powell pointed to one Tweet from Reynolds account that replied "I feel we need licensing and tax," in response to his disappointment with the bill.
"Doug Reynolds' comment on Twitter talks about wanting to license and tax these businesses," Powell said. "It's clear he doesn't even know what his own bill does because HB 2724 says nothing about licensing or taxes."
As to whether the issue of legislating morality should be an undertaking of the legislature, Reynolds said he agreed it should not be.
"I would generally agree with that," Reynolds said. "It's not a bill just to ban it. We had, in Huntington, a young man get shot at one of those places two years ago. If you look at where they're at on Route 60, there's a hotel that used to be a nice hotel and got into a lot of drug problems and everything else."
The bill poses a number of restrictions on adult businesses.
Sexually oriented businesses would not be allowed to remain open between 11 p.m. and 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday. Sundays and legal holidays would also be off limits for sexually oriented businesses under the law.
Employees of the business are the only ones who would be allowed to be nude or semi-nude, and those employees must remain 10 feet away from patrons on a stage at least two feet above the floor.
The bill also restricts "tipping" such employees.
"A person may not, while nude or seminude, solicit or be allowed to solicit any pay or gratuity from any patron or customer, pay or give, or be allowed to pay or give, any gratuity to any employee while the employee is nude or seminude on the sexually oriented business premises," the bill states.
Touching the nude employee or the clothing of the employee would also be prohibited.
A fine of up to $1,000 would be applicable with a misdemeanor punishable up to $10,000 for the fourth offense.
The bill includes and defines such places as adult arcades, adult book/video stores, "instruments, devices or paraphernalia that are designed for use in connection" with sexual activity, adult cabarets (bars, nightclubs, restaurant, etc.), erotic dancing and other sexual activities or products.
Sobonya and Rowan were not immediately available for comment.
All content © Copyright 2000 - 2012 WorldNow and WVSTATE. All Rights Reserved.