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Strip club tax goes to the Illinois Governors Desk

From the Chicago Sun Times
May 31, 2012

Strip clubs are one step away from facing a $3-per-customer tax after lawmakers voted to send a measure to Gov. Pat Quinn's desk on Thursday that would help fund sexual assault services.

The bill, which passed 92-23 in the state House, would impose a fee on adult entertainment venues that amounts to $3 per customer or $5,000 to $25,000 a year, depending on a club's receipts and which method of payment the club chooses.

Chief sponsor Rep. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) said the bill, which would apply to clubs that feature nude dancing and serve alcohol or permit its consumption, is an attempt to cut down on the “secondary negative effects associated with sexually-oriented businesses.”

However, Rep. Jason Barickman, (R-Pontiac) decried the tax and criticized Democrats for wanting to impose the measure in the wake of a partisan budget vote Wednesday night.

“Not 24 hours after you passed the budget, you turn around and ask taxpayers for more money,” he said. “When does it stop?”

The bill passed without opposition in the Senate last week, when chief sponsor Sen. Toi Hutchinson (D-Olympia Fields) gave an emotional appeal to colleagues about mitigating sexual violence in Illinois.

The bill is House Bill 1645