JEFFERSON CITY, MO. (AP) --
A Missouri Democratic lawmaker is trying to stop "black Friday" shopping from ruining the Thanksgiving dinners of workers.
House member Jeff Roorda, of Barnhart, plans legislation that would prohibit retail stores from opening on Thanksgiving.
He has dubbed it the "Thanksgiving Family Protection Act" and says the holiday should be about families and not about profit or greed. He says Thanksgiving should not become "black Friday eve."
Restaurants, gas stations and drug stores would be exempt from forced closure. Roorda says some other states also require businesses to close on that day.
He says retailers' efforts to out-do one another has left fewer hours for workers to spend time with their families on Thanksgiving.
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