Vice President Joe Biden (right) administers the Senate oath to Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) as Tillis' wife, Susan, holds the Bible and looks on during a ceremonial re-enactment swearing-in ceremony on January 6, 2015 in Washington, D.C. Photo by Pete Marovich/UPI | License Photo

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Freshman Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., is raising eyebrows around Washington after controversial remarks he made suggesting that requiring restaurant employees to wash their hands may constitute government overreach.

"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,'" the senator said on C-SPAN, recalling a 2010 conversation he had as a member of the North Carolina state legislature.


Tillis said he believes businesses should be able to opt out of government regulations, provided they are open about choosing to do so.

"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 our hands after leaving the restroom.' The market will take care of that."

The comments are attracting particular attention as the government's role in requiring the public to receive necessary vaccinations is unexpectedly the center of debate in recent weeks, with potential Republican presidential candidates expressing hesitation endorsing vaccinations while Democrats rushed to defend the mainstream practice.