The restroom bill: McCready testifies on requiring open restrooms

The bill to require businesses with restrooms to allow customers to use their bathrooms (if the customer has an eligible medical condition) — you know, the one where Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready came down to testify — had a hearing this morning in the House Judiciary Committee. Watch it here. It will also play at 11:15 p.m. tonight (right after Legislative Review.)

Rep. Marko Liias said he introduced the bill after one of his constituents, Lois, called his tip line.

“In general as a society, we are loathe to talk about the restroom and going to the restroom … it’s a difficult subject for everyone to handle but today, we’ll all have to be grown-ups.”

He said in Washington State, there are nearly 30,000 people with inflammatory bowel diseases. Those diseases can have sudden symptoms that can cause some sufferers to just stay home, he said.

“The bottom line is we all have constituents that suffer from these debilitating symptoms,” Liias said. He said the bill was one small way for the Legislature to help.

House Bill 1138 would not require any business to improve their restrooms, just make them available to people who either use a colostomy or have documentation that they suffer from Crohn’s or other bowel diseases.

Click through to read McCready’s testimony.

Lois Fink, the constituent who contacted Liias, testified that she was diagnosed with Crohn’s at age 17. She said going shopping is sometimes terrifying and she’s been reduced to begging to use the restroom at times.

Mike McCready, lead guitarist for Pearl Jam, told the committee that he couldn’t believe how nervous he was to testify.

“I have had many of those accidents around Seattle and on stage,” he said. He told what he described as a “funny, not-so-funny” incident before opening for the Rolling Stones. “You have maybe a half a second to find a bathroom.”

“Luckily, being the Rolling Stones, they had bathrooms on stage.” The crowd laughed.

“It’s not very great to talk about,” he said. He said he would hope it helps kids with the disease, who are forming their self-esteem while battling the disease.

After McCready’s testimony, Rep. Dennis Flannigan told McCready he’d give him an autograph.

Tags: Crohn's, Public Policy, restrooms