* Sen. Toi Hutchinson’s proposal to tax admission fees to strip clubs will get even more visibility today when Hutchinson and Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon hold a joint press conference in Chicago. The embedded video below will begin around 1:45 pm, brought to us by our good friends at BlueRoomStream.com…

…Adding… If you have any problems with the embedded live video, click here.

…Adding More… Raw audio of the newser…

Click to download

…Adding Still More... Video of the presser, courtesy of BlueRoomStream.com…

* Here’s some background while you wait…

Alfred Ronan, who lobbies on behalf of the Illinois Club Owners Association, said the group opposes the legislation.

“What do the clubs have to do with abused women?” Ronan said. “I don’t want to make light of it, but we just don’t get the connection.”

Illinois is not the first state to look at exotic dance outlets as a source of revenue.

A law similar to the Illinois legislation was upheld by the Texas Supreme Court last year. Officials there say the new tax could bring in as much as $44 million.

A number of cities also have discussed imposing a pole tax, including Minneapolis and Phoenix.

It also isn’t the first time Illinois has considered taxing adult-related products. In 1997, former House Speaker Lee Daniels, R-Elmhurst, floated the prospect of a special tax on pornographic magazines to raise money for schools. The measure went nowhere.