Senate Says Publicly Run Restaurants Need Inspections

WW Story on Norovirus at Oregon Zoo Restaurant Prompts Legislation

By ANDREA DAMEWOOD

The Oregon Senate voted today to require restaurants run by public entities to undergo routine health inspections.

The 29-0 vote eliminates the inspection exception for publicly-run restaurants. The legislation comes on the heels of reporting by WW in December that revealed the Oregon Zoo had not been inspected by Multnomah County since 2006. Earlier that month, 135 people were sickened by norovirus at the zoo restaurant, run by Metro, the area's regional government.

State laws require privately-run restaurants to obtain a license and undergo inspections every six months. but as WW reported, public agencies operated under a loophole.

Oregon Health and Science University

The bill now moves to the Oregon House of Representatives.

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