JEFFERSON CITY — Legislation placing far-reaching restrictions on adult-entertainment businesses in Missouri won preliminary approval in the state Senate on Thursday and may continue on a legislative fast track thanks to a federal investigation.
Sen. Matt Bartle presented the bill on the Senate floor just two days after he appeared before a federal grand jury in Kansas City to answer questions about the defeat of a nearly identical bill in 2005.
To become law, legislation approved Thursday must be voted on once more in the Senate, passed through the House and ultimately signed by the governor. But if successful, it would represent a sea change for adult-oriented businesses. Among the provisions:
• Nudity would be banned in strip clubs.
• Semi-nude dancers would have to stay at least six feet away from and not touch patrons.
• Adult businesses would have to close between midnight and 6 a.m. and could not sell alcohol.
• Adult businesses could not be opened within 1,000 feet of a school, church, day-care facility, library, park, residence or another adult business.
If upheld in court, the law probably would shut down strip clubs and adult bookstores, said attorney Dick Bryant, who represents about a dozen adult entertainment businesses in the Kansas City area.
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