Bill would outlaw bathroom cams

Back in February, state Rep. Garnet Coleman promised he'd introduce a bill in the Legislature outlawing cameras in public restrooms after KHOU did an undercover investigation on cams in the bathroom of a north Houston bar. And last night, Coleman made good on that promise by filing a bill that would make such cameras illegal.

Coleman said in February that he "[doesn't] know of any Texan who wants a camera in the restroom while they're taking care of their private acts." Well, we couldn't agree more. Coleman's bill (get the text here) would outlaw cameras in "a location ... where the other person has a reasonable expectation of privacy" if recordings are made without people's consent and are meant to invade people's privacy or "arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person." Signs warning about such cameras, like those in the bar KHOU reported on, aren't enough to establish consent, the bill says.

The bill could be considered during the special legislative session now under way.