Greg Abbott
DALLAS (Legal Newsline)-Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott on Tuesday called for a "one strike and you're out" law for sexually oriented businesses, including adult bookstores and strip clubs.
Speaking to the House Committee on Licensing and Administrative Procedures at a meeting held at Dallas City Hall, Abbott said the state falls woefully short of regulating adult-themed businesses.
He said that needs to change to prevent cases like the one that emerged recently where a 12-year-old girl danced nude for two weeks in a Northwest Dallas club last year.
Abbott urged state legislators to pass legislation that would allow state regulators to shut down clubs who employ anyone under 18, even once.
Additionally, he said sexually orientated businesses should be required to register with the state and keep detailed records of their employees.
For companies that illegally hire minors, Abbott said they should face felony charges.
"What I think would be a more effective way of addressing this problem at a statewide level, is that even though the problem may have been resolved at the local level here in the City of Dallas, we want to ensure that practices like this don't occur anywhere in the State of Texas," Abbott said.
From Legal Newsline: Reach reporter Chris Rizo by e-mail at chrisrizo@legalnewsline.com.