By Adam Pagnucco.
A new bill by Council Member Will Jawando would mandate the provision of menstrual products in most public restrooms in the county.
The bill is known as the Menstrual Products Access and Equity Act. It defines menstrual products as “tampons or sanitary napkins for use in connection with the menstrual cycle.” It defines public restrooms as containing one or more toilets and sinks, located within a place of public accommodation and by law made available to customers or the public.
The bill states, “A place of public accommodation must provide, at no cost to users, menstrual products in each public restroom.” The bill uses the definition of public accommodation in Section 27-10 of the county code, which includes:
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(1) restaurants, soda fountains, and other eating or drinking places, and all places where food is sold for consumption either on or off the premises;
(2) inns, hotels, and motels, whether serving temporary or permanent patrons;
(3) retail stores and service establishments;
(4) hospitals, health care institutions, domiciliary care homes, nursing homes, personal care homes, and clinics;
(5) motion picture, stage, and other theaters and music, concert, or meeting halls;
(6) circuses, exhibitions, skating rinks, sports arenas and fields, amusement or recreation parks, picnic grounds, fairs, bowling alleys, golf courses, gymnasiums, shooting galleries, billiard and pool rooms, and swimming pools;
(7) public conveyances, such as automobiles, buses, taxicabs, trolleys, trains, limousines, boats, airplanes, and bicycles;
(8) utilities, such as water and sewer service, electricity, telephone, and cable television;
(9) streets, roads, sidewalks, other public rights-of-way, parking lots or garages, marinas, airports, and hangars; and
(10) places of public assembly and entertainment of every kind.
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Six of the county council’s eleven members are women. At this writing, none of them – or any of the others – are co-sponsors of this bill.