More than a dozen House Democrats have proposed legislation that would require all men’s and women’s bathrooms in public buildings to be equipped with baby-changing tables.
The Bathrooms Accessible in Every Situation Act, or the BABIES Act, was introduced by Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I. The legislation is an apparent attempt to make sure that both men and women have the option of changing their child’s diapers when using a public restroom.
“[M]ale and female restrooms in a public building shall be equipped with baby changing facilities,” the bill stated. Those facilities must be “physically safe, sanitary, and appropriate.”
The bill would amend a section of law that defines a “public building” as any building used by federal agencies or mixed-ownership government corporations. That includes all federal offices, post offices, court and customs buildings, and “any other buildings or construction projects the inclusion of which the president considers to be justified in the public interest.”
The bill would exempt restrooms that aren’t available for public use.
It defines “baby changing facility” as a “table or other device suitable for changing the diaper of a child age 3 or under.”
Read Cicilline’s bill here:
