NC State Senator Says Restaurant Workers Shouldn’t Have To Wash Hands

Posted by | February 3, 2015 15:00 | Filed under: News Behaving Badly Politics Top Stories


Is it too much government to regulate that workers in restaurants should wash their hands after bathroom breaks? Senator Tom Tillis says the market should take care of this issue.

Tillis made the declaration at to the Bipartisan Policy Center, at the end of a question and answer with the audience. He was relaying a 2010 anecdote about his “bias when it comes to regulatory reform.”

“I was having a discussion with someone, and we were at a Starbucks in my district, and we were talking about certain regulations where I felt like ‘maybe you should allow businesses to opt out,’” he said, “as long as they indicate through proper disclosure, through advertising, through employment literature, or whatever else.”

Tillis was, at the time, the minority whip of the North Carolina House of Representatives.

“She said, ‘I can’t believe that,’” he continued in retelling the story. “And at that time we were sitting back at a table that was near the restrooms and one of the employees just came out. She said: ‘For example, don’t you believe that this regulation that requires this gentleman to wash his hands before he serves your food is important and should be on the books?’”

“I said: ‘As a matter of fact, I think it’s one that I can [use to] illustrate the point,’” he remarked. “I said: ‘I don’t have any problem with Starbucks if they choose to opt out of this policy as long as they post a sign that says “We don’t require our employees to wash their hands after leaving the restroom,”’” he recalled, as the audience chuckled. “The market will take care of that.’”

“That’s the sort of mentality that we need to have to reduce the regulatory burden on this country,” he added. “We’re one of the most regulated nations in the history of the planet.”

Click to “like” us on Facebook 

Click here for reuse options!
Copyright 2015 Liberaland
By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.

38 responses to NC State Senator Says Restaurant Workers Shouldn’t Have To Wash Hands

  1. Ryan February 4th, 2015 at 15:17

    Unfortunately Tillis is not a State Senator. He’s a US Senator.

  2. Ryan February 4th, 2015 at 16:17

    Unfortunately Tillis is not a State Senator. He’s a US Senator.

  3. Melinda Buttler February 4th, 2015 at 16:12

    It’s just replacing one law with another. One that says you have to wash hands the other that mandates signage to be in place that says you don’t wash hands. This is the wrong issue for the “too much government” stand.

    • DublinIreland February 4th, 2015 at 16:15

      You liberals really are dumb aren’t you? Understand English much?

  4. Melinda Buttler February 4th, 2015 at 17:12

    It’s just replacing one law with another. One that says you have to wash hands the other that mandates signage to be in place that says you don’t wash hands. This is the wrong issue for the “too much government” stand.

1 2

Leave a Reply