The Legislature's Health and Human Services Committee voted unanimously today to
kill a bill that would have required all public places with restrooms to provide disposable toilet seat covers.
Rep. Paulette Beaudoin, D-Biddeford, said she sponsored the bill because she was concerned about keeping children healthy in public restrooms. She asked the committee to give the bill a fair hearing.
"I received a call from an angry gentleman saying that this is a ridiculous waste of time and money," she said. "My main concern is for children. If this
bill keeps children from getting sick and saves money in health care costs, then we should provide this protection."
A few groups -- the Maine Association of Agricultural Fairs, Maine School Management Association, and the Maine Restaurant Association -- testified in opposition to the bill, citing the high cost of adding the dispensers and covers.
And Dr. Dora Anne Mills, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, provided written testimony that said she could not find evidence to support the belief that disposable toilet seat covers decrease the spread of infectious diseases.
"In one study of bacteria counts in bathrooms, toilet seats had lower bacterial counts than did the faucet handles on the sinks," she wrote. source:
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