The Florida Senate passed an amendment Tuesday to the anti-human trafficking bill raising the minimum age to become a stripper from 18 to 21, according to The Floridian.
The bill originally required installation of human trafficking public awareness signs and instant suspected human trafficking reporting, the outlet reported.
Dreamgirl Nightmare? Florida to Raise Stripper Age to 21
Reported by @livcaputo via @Floridianpress
https://t.co/TOSkj7BYbZ#flpol #florida— The Floridian (@Floridianpress) March 6, 2024
“Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery,” Republican State Sen. Clay Yarborough, the sponsor of the amendment to the bill, told the outlet. “Victims include young children, teenagers, and adults who can be citizens that are trafficked domestically within the borders of our country or smuggled across international borders.”
“Human trafficking includes two types of exploitation, commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor. The state has a compelling interest, like the federal government, in safeguarding the community and children from trafficking and sexual exploitation,” the state senator reportedly continued. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Full Florida GOP Congressional Delegation Endorses Sen. Rick Scott For Re-Election)
Three of the twelve Democrats in the upper chamber of the legislature voted against the bill with Yarborough’s amendment, allowing it to pass in the State Senate, The Floridan reported.
“What bothers me is that this is a predominantly female profession and you’re taking away their ability to work. They’re not children, these are adults, and we are taking away their ability to work,” Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book told the outlet. Book and other Democrats reportedly further raised concerns over what alternatives women will turn to if blocked from legal employment.
“You’re [Yarborough] saying no, you can’t do this,” Democratic Sen. Jason Pizzo said with regard to the his colleague’s amendment, according to Florida Politics, “But you’re not providing any other remedy.”
The bill now goes to the Florida House of Representatives and if passed will head to the governor’s desk pending his signature, The Floridian reported.