OFF THE WIRE
A new bill would require dancers to get a license and 'conspicuously display' it while on the job.
By Kim Peterson
Texas lawmakers are cracking down on strip clubs. State Rep. Bill Zedler has authored a bill requiring exotic dancers to get a license -- and wear the document while performing.
Asking strippers to get licensed is nothing new. Several cities in America already have that requirement. But Zedler is getting attention for his suggestion that the dancers "conspicuously display" the license -- with their real names on it -- while working.
Zedler, a conservative Republican, thinks it might deter women from choosing the profession. "They won't want to get a license as a stripper from the state of Texas," he said, according to the Star-Telegram. "I think it would keep a lot of girls from getting involved in that lifestyle and basically wrecking their lives."
In order to get the license, strippers would need to be at least 18 years old and take a class about human trafficking awareness and reporting. The license will not be given to anyone previously convicted for human trafficking, prostitution, public lewdness or possession of child pornography.
The bill raises some questions. Is it safe for a dancer to display her real name on the license? Zedler admitted that this could be an issue, and said he would be in favor of a "magnetic cover" on the license that would hide the name, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Riiiight. So where exactly would a dancer display a license and magnetic cover? Zedler has an answer for that one as well, saying that the dancer could wear a license around the neck, or on shoes, or attached to a head band.
"This will force everyone to clean up their act," he told the Star-Telegram. "Overall, it will be a benefit to everyone concerned."
It doesn't sound like Zedler's bill will get very far. State lawmakers have some bigger issues to tackle, like the economy, education and healthcare, one political science professor told the Star-Telegram.
"It may be overshadowed by other big conservative issues like school vouchers, education funding, Medicaid," Allan Saxe added. "However, it has been announced by some Republican leaders that this session will be very conservative, so this may be one 'side' issue that they may be willing to bring up and consider."