Public Health - Public Buildings - Hygiene Products
HB0941 requires public restrooms in public buildings to maintain an adequate supply of basic hygiene items. The bill defines “public building” broadly to include buildings, structures, and improved areas owned, leased, or operated by the State or a political subdivision, and it also covers certain public transportation facilities and public parks or recreation centers. It excludes facilities primarily used for primary or secondary education, and it defines “public restroom” as a sanitary facility open to the general public with at least one toilet or urinal, excluding facilities that only have composting or pit toilets.
Under the bill, each public restroom in each public building must provide hand soap, toilet paper, towels or other hand-drying devices, water, waste containers, and menstrual hygiene products. The measure is placed in the State Finance and Procurement Article as a new subtitle on hygiene products and is scheduled to take effect October 1, 2026. In practical terms, the bill creates a statewide facilities standard for public buildings and expands the list of required restroom supplies to include menstrual products.
HB0941 would amend the State Finance and Procurement Article by adding a new subtitle that imposes restroom supply requirements on state and local public buildings. It would affect agencies and political subdivisions that own, lease, or operate covered public buildings, including certain transit facilities and public parks or recreation areas, by requiring them to ensure public restrooms are stocked with specified hygiene products. The bill does not apply to facilities primarily used for K-12 education, and it excludes restrooms with only composting or pit toilets.
The available legislative context suggests generally favorable sentiment toward the bill. The House committee reported it favorably with amendments, and the House adopted the committee report, indicating support for the underlying policy. No vote breakdowns or transcript excerpts are provided, so the record does not show organized opposition in the available materials.
The main policy issue likely concerns the scope and cost of compliance for public entities that must stock and maintain the required supplies, especially the addition of menstrual hygiene products in all covered public restrooms. Another possible point of discussion is the breadth of the definition of public building, which extends beyond traditional government offices to transit facilities and public parks, while excluding schools and certain nontraditional restroom types. Because no committee transcript is available, specific objections or amendments cannot be identified from the provided record.