# Assembly Bill Would Open State Retailers' Restrooms



## Jeffrey Roberts (Apr 15, 1987)

*Assembly Bill Would Open State Retailers' Restrooms*BY JACOB GERSHMAN - Staff Reporter of the SunJanuary 15, 2008URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/69511A state lawmaker wants New York retailers to be required to open their employee restrooms to random passers-by who are suffering from Crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel disorder of unpredictable symptoms.Under the Restroom Access Act, introduced this week by an Assembly Democrat of Westchester, people afflicted with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, or any other condition requiring urgent access to a toilet may not be turned away by businesses, with few exceptions.Retail owners who refuse to open their bathrooms to such people during business hours could face a misdemeanor charge punishable by a fine of up to $100.Businesses may turn away sufferers if there are fewer than three employees present or if proving access to a toilet would present an obvious safety risk to the user or a security risk to the shop.Sufferers of Crohn's disease, which is said to afflict 500,000 to 1 million people in America and is more common among Jewish people between the ages of 20 and 30, have lobbied around the nation for the right to use retail restrooms on demand. At least two states, Texas and Illinois, have passed similar legislation. The bill proposed by Assemblyman George Latimer does not make clear how an employee would verify if a customer or passer-by needing to use a bathroom actually suffers from one of the eligible ailments. It does not specify a penalty for a person who falsely claims to have a bowel ailment.The Restroom Access Act is one of more than 100 bills introduced in Albany since lawmakers returned from their six-month break last week....© 2007 The New York Sun, One SL, LLC. All rights reserved.


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