Rhode Island lawmaker withdraws proposed outhouse ban bill

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A Rhode Island lawmaker who introduced a bill that would ban outhouses in the state says he is withdrawing the legislation.

Republican Rep. Justin Price said Wednesday he is pulling the measure ahead of a scheduled State house hearing. Price says the issue should be addressed by local municipalities, not the state.

The bill would have required any outhouse existing as of Jan. 1, 2019, to be “abandoned, filled up and destroyed” within one year.

Price previously said the bill was inspired by a dispute between Warwick residents and their former neighbour who lived within sniffing distance of the family’s outhouse. Those who refused to comply could have faced up to a $1,000 fine.