An Act To Amend the Laws Regarding Public Rest Rooms
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §1685, sub-§2 is enacted to read:
2. Place of public accommodation. "Place of public accommodation" means a facility, operated by a public or private entity, whose operations fall within at least one of the following categories: A. An inn, hotel, motel or other place of lodging, whether conducted for the entertainment or accommodation of transient guests or those seeking health, recreation or rest;
B. A restaurant, eating house, bar, tavern, buffet, saloon, soda fountain, ice cream parlor or other establishment serving or selling food or drink;
C. A motion picture house, theater, concert hall, stadium, roof garden, airdrome or other place of exhibition or entertainment;
D. An auditorium, convention center, lecture hall or other place of public gathering;
E. A bakery, grocery store, clothing store, hardware store, shopping center, garage, gasoline station or other sales or rental establishment;
F. A laundromat, dry cleaner, bank, barber shop, beauty shop, travel service, shoe repair service, funeral parlor, gas station, office of an accountant or lawyer, pharmacy, insurance office, professional office of a health care provider, hospital, dispensary, clinic, bathhouse or other service establishment;
G. All public conveyances operated on land or water or in the air as well as a terminal, depot or other station used for specified public transportation;
H. A museum, library, gallery or other place of public display or collection;
I. A park, zoo, amusement park, race course, skating rink, fair, bowling alley, golf course, golf club, country club, gymnasium, health spa, shooting gallery, billiard or pool parlor, swimming pool, seashore accommodation or boardwalk or other place of recreation, exercise or health;
J. A nursery, elementary, secondary, undergraduate or postgraduate school or other place of education;
K. A day-care center, senior citizen center, homeless shelter, food bank, adoption agency or other social service center establishment;
L. A municipal building, courthouse, town hall or other establishment of the State or a local government; and
M. Any establishment that in fact caters to, or offers its goods, facilities or services to, or solicits or accepts patronage from, the general public.
When a place of public accommodation is located in a private residence, the portion of the residence used exclusively as a residence is not covered by this chapter, but that portion used exclusively in the operation of the place of public accommodation or that portion used both for the place of public accommodation and for the residential purposes is covered by this chapter.
Sec. 2. 22 MRSA §1685, sub-§3 is enacted to read:
3. Public accommodation. "Public accommodation" means a public or private entity that owns, leases, leases to or operates a place of public accommodation.
Sec. 3. 22 MRSA §1686-B is enacted to read:
In any place of public accommodation that provides rest room facilities, disposable toilet seat covers must be provided in those facilities.
Sec. 4. Maine Revised Statutes headnote amended; revision clause. In the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 22, chapter 270-B, in the chapter headnote, the words "public rest room facilities in eating places" are amended to read "public rest room facilities" and the Revisor of Statutes shall implement this revision when updating, publishing or republishing the statutes.
SUMMARY
This bill requires that all places of public accommodation that provide rest room facilities provide disposable toilet seat covers.