PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Washington bill dubbed the “strippers’ bill of rights” has been signed into law.

Senate Bill 6105 received Washington Gov. Jay Inslee’s stamp of approval on Monday, offering further safety protections for workers in the adult entertainment industry.

The bill requires establishments to install and maintain panic buttons in bathrooms, dressing rooms and each room where workers could be alone with customers. The businesses are also required to document when a customer is accused of committing sex trafficking, prostitution, promoting prostitution, or assaulting or harassing entertainers.

The establishments must have at least one security officer on-site during operating hours, as well.

“Strippers are workers, and they should be given the same rights and protections as any other labor force,” Washington Sen. Rebecca Saldaña, the bill’s chief sponsor, said in a statement. “If they are employed at a legal establishment in Washington, they deserve the safeguards that every worker is entitled to, including protection from exploitation, trafficking, and abuse.”

In addition, SB 6105 will require businesses to implement a training program in which workers learn about topics including sexual harassment, human trafficking and de-escalating conflict.

The bill also sets a cap on the fees that establishment owners charge their workers. The leasing fee can’t exceed $150, or 30% of how much an entertainer earns within an eight-hour shift, depending on which amount is smaller.

Under the new law, adult entertainment businesses in Washington will officially be allowed to apply for liquor licenses. However, the State Liquor and Cannabis Board must notify officials of the applicants to ensure they’re in compliance with the law.

“It is crucial that we confront the stigma surrounding adult entertainment and recognize the humanity of those involved in the industry,” Sen. Saldaña added. “Turning a blind eye to the exploitation and vulnerability faced by adult entertainers serves only to perpetuate injustice and harm. We need to recognize workers’ rights to safeguard their well-being.”

The bills are the culmination of six years of advocacy work by Strippers Are Workers, a dancer-led organization in Washington, in response to wide regulation gaps for strippers at the 11 clubs across the state, said Madison Zack-Wu, its campaign manager.

But those regulation gaps extend beyond Washington. And during those six years of work by Strippers Are Workers, only one other state added worker protections for adult entertainers, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In 2019, Illinois started requiring that adult entertainment establishments, along with other businesses, have a written sexual harassment policy. That same year, Washington added a few initial regulations, including panic buttons and blacklists for customers.

The list by NCSL doesn’t include bills focused on age minimums or human trafficking, a criminal industry whose victims are often recruited to work in U.S. strip clubs, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. These bills rarely address workplace protections like the ones in Washington, said Landon Jacquinot, an NCSL policy associate.

There have also been efforts at the local level, including a bar in Los Angeles and a strip club in Portland, Oregon, where dancers voted to unionize. And, in a 2014 decision with statewide implications, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled that dancers at one Las Vegas club are employees, and are entitled to minimum wage and other protections.