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St. Louis Bill Would Let Homeless People Pee in Public

Proponents argue that exceptions are needed given the low number of public restrooms in the city.

Lawmakers in St. Louis, Missouri, are debating a bill that would exempt homeless individuals from laws against public urination and defecation, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. The bill was introduced Friday by Aldermanic President Megan Green and Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier of Tower Grove East, who argue that exceptions are needed given the low number of public restrooms in the city. “After every sporting event, after Mardi Gras, we see (other) people engaging in public urination,” Green said at a news conference. “But ... enforcing those laws against that segment of the population is not the same as the enforcement we see against our unhoused population.”