Public Toilet Access Act
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Public Toilet Access Act
Proposed by: Susie Dakota, Councillor for the Mishar republic
Preamble
The purpose of this Act is to ensure equitable access to clean and safe public toilets for all individuals without the imposition of fees or charges.
Section I: Definitions
1.1 Public Toilet: Any facility intended for public use and designated for restroom purposes, located in public spaces, government buildings, parks, transportation hubs, shopping centers, or any other area frequented by the general public.
1.2 Paid Public Toilet: A public toilet for which a fee, charge, or monetary consideration is required for access or use.
Section II: Prohibition of Paid Public Toilets
2.1 Paid Public Toilets Ban: All public toilets within the jurisdiction of the European Union shall be made freely accessible to the public, and no fees or charges shall be imposed for their use.
2.2 Conversion of Paid Public Toilets: All existing paid public toilets shall be converted into freely accessible public toilets within 180 days from the effective date of this Act.
Section III: Maintenance and Cleanliness
3.1 Public Toilet Maintenance: The relevant authorities, such as local governments or facility operators, shall be responsible for the regular maintenance, cleaning, and upkeep of public toilets to ensure cleanliness and hygienic conditions for users.
3.2 Funding: Adequate funding for the maintenance and operation of public toilets shall be allocated through the public budget or other suitable means, without relying on user fees.
Section IV: Awareness and Signage
4.1 Signage Requirement: All public toilets shall be clearly marked and identified with visible signage indicating their availability and free access.
4.2 Awareness Campaign: The relevant authorities shall conduct public awareness campaigns to inform the public about the new regulations and their right to free access to public toilets.
Section V: Penalties
5.1 Non-Compliance: Any entity found in violation of this Act by charging fees for access to public toilets shall be subject to fines, penalties, or other appropriate measures as determined by the European Court of Justice.
Section VI: Exceptions
6.1 Private Facilities: This Act shall not apply to privately-owned restrooms within small commercial establishments or non-public spaces, where access to restrooms is limited to authorized personnel.
Councilors, I propose this act to ensure that nobody has to pay for the basic biological and human right to relieve yourself in a public bathroom.
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Debate begins NOW and will continue until 23:59 GMT on August 14th, 2023.
Donald Tusk
Council Speaker and Councillor for Spain
The Kingdom of Spain
His Majesty the King, Felipe VI
President Alberto Núñez-Feijóo
Councillor and Council Speaker Donald Tusk -
While I applaud efforts to maintain or increase access to toilets I must disagree with this act. There is sometimes a need to charge for toilets for various reasons even if it is just a token amount. Alot of toilets in the Duchies outside of environments like restaurants have a cost that is marginal of around 0.20-0.30 Dux Libra in order to increase security. Unfortunately sometimes you need to charge for toilets to reduce vandalism or prevent them from becoming a spot for drug addicts to take their drugs or to pay for the cleaner to keep them clean.It also may be the case small businesses may not be able to afford staff to run their toilets and wish to outsource the management to paid providers. I believe this act may do more harm than good in some or many instances.
James Mizrachi-Roscoe, Councillour for United Duchies
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Councillor, thank you for your suggestion. I believe that bathrooms run by cities, large corporations, and shopping malls can afford to clean and keep safe from drug addicts. That's why I'm making a new proposal:
Section I: Definitions
1.1 Public Toilet: Any facility intended for public use and designated for restroom purposes, located in public spaces, government buildings, parks, transportation hubs, shopping centers, or any other area frequented by the general public.
1.2 Paid Public Toilet: A public toilet for which a fee, charge, or monetary consideration is required for access or use.
Section II: Prohibition of Paid Public Toilets
2.1 Paid Public Toilets Ban: All public toilets within the jurisdiction of the European Union shall be made freely accessible to the public, and no fees or charges shall be imposed for their use.
2.2 Conversion of Paid Public Toilets: All existing paid public toilets shall be converted into freely accessible public toilets within 180 days from the effective date of this Act.
Section III: Maintenance and Cleanliness
3.1 Public Toilet Maintenance: The relevant authorities, such as local governments or facility operators, shall be responsible for the regular maintenance, cleaning, and upkeep of public toilets to ensure cleanliness and hygienic conditions for users.
3.2 Funding: Adequate funding for the maintenance and operation of public toilets shall be allocated through the public budget or other suitable means, without relying on user fees.
Section IV: Awareness and Signage
4.1 Signage Requirement: All public toilets shall be clearly marked and identified with visible signage indicating their availability and free access.
4.2 Awareness Campaign: The relevant authorities shall conduct public awareness campaigns to inform the public about the new regulations and their right to free access to public toilets.
Section V: Penalties
5.1 Non-Compliance: Any entity found in violation of this Act by charging fees for access to public toilets shall be subject to fines, penalties, or other appropriate measures as determined by the European Court of Justice.
Section VI: Exceptions
6.1 Private Facilities: This Act shall not apply to privately-owned restrooms within small commercial establishments or non-public spaces, where access to restrooms is limited to authorized personnel.
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Most toilets in Spain are not charged, so there would not be any problem with us adapting to this act is passed. However, I believe companies have the right to ask for a payment to use the toilet. For example, many bars in Spain ask people willing to use the toilet to take something, so if they leave it dirty they would have, at least, left some money on the establishment. With this act, I believe we would be compromising that basic right business owners have.
In addition, debate is extended for another 48 hours, until 23:59 GMT on August 18th, 2023.
Donald Tusk
Council Speaker and Councillor for SpainThe Kingdom of Spain
His Majesty the King, Felipe VI
President Alberto Núñez-Feijóo
Councillor and Council Speaker Donald Tusk -
I would agree with the right honourable Tusk. Whether small or big businesses and institutions should have the right to charge a nominal fee for a toilet even if its just 0.50 in Dux Libra or Euro or whatever currency the nation uses. My concern would be making all public toilets be free would encourage loitering , vandalism and other issues which yes we could afford to fix but it is cheaper just to have the nominal fee to protect the toilets so that only those seriously using them for toileting needs are using them. Most of our public toilets on street are charged for for this very reason.
James Mizrachi-Roscoe, Councillour for United Duchies
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Most toilets in Brickston accessible to the public are government-owned and thus are free of cost to access. That being said, businesses have the right to independently establish their fees, payments or prices to use/purchase anything under the ownership of said business. Therefore, we are against this act from being passed under its current form.
Jeremy Huntingdon,
Representative for the European Councillor of Brickston -
Debate is now over. It is time to vote on the proposed amendment. There is ONE amendment up to vote, proposed by Councillor Susie Dakota:
Amendment I - Proposed by Cllr. Susie Dakota
Section VI: Exceptions
6.1 Private Facilities: This Act shall not apply to privately-owned restrooms within small commercial establishments or non-public spaces, where access to restrooms is limited to authorized personnel.
Voting on the amendment will commence NOW and will last until 09:40 GMT on August 26th, 2023.
I vote FOR the amendment.
Donald Tusk
Council Speaker and Councillor for Spain -
On behalf of the Mishar Republic, I vote FOR this amendment.
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Sertia votes against this amendment.
Édutitalle Dína
EU councillor for the Kingdom of Sertia -
Brickston votes AGAINST the amendment.
Jeremy Huntingdon,
Representative for the European Councillor of Brickston
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Pinned by
Spain
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On behalf of United Duchies I vote for this ammendment
James Mizrachi-Roscoe , Councillour for United Duchies -
Voting on the amendment has concluded. With 3 votes FOR and 2 votes AGAINST, Amendment I has PASSED. The proposal has been updated accordingly.
Final voting begins NOW and will last until 12:25 GMT on August 30th, 2023.
On behalf of the Kingdom of Spain, I vote AGAINST this act.
Donald Tusk
Council Speaker and Councillor for SpainThe Kingdom of Spain
His Majesty the King, Felipe VI
President Alberto Núñez-Feijóo
Councillor and Council Speaker Donald Tusk -
On behalf of United Duchies I vote AGAINST this act
James Mizrachi -Roscoe , Councillour for United Duchies -
On behalf of the Republic of Brickston, I vote AGAINST the act.
Jeremy Huntingdon,
Representative for the European Councillor of Brickston -
On behalf of the Mishar Republic, I vote FOR this act.
Mrs. Susie Dakota, Councillor for the Mishar Republic
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On behalf of the Republic of Istkalen, I vote AGAINST this act.
Iras Tilkanas
Council Speaker and Councillor for the Republic of Istkalen -
On behalf of the Kingdom of Sertia, I vote for this act.
Édutitalle Dína
European councillor -
Voting has now concluded. With 2 votes FOR and 4 votes AGAINST, this bill has FAILED.
Donald Tusk
Council Speaker and Councillor for Spain -
Unpinned by Spain
