Whereupon Nugent dissembled. Mr. Chairman, I wish I had known about the Washington state regulation in May of 1992 when it was established. And, perhaps feeling that not one, but two embarrassing omissions would make him seem an even more pitiable figure, he said he also wished he'd learned earlier of an outbreak in Walla Walla killed two people a few years before. After virtually admitting corporate negligence, Nugent, according to the transcript, tried to regain credibility. Bartleson, of the Health Department, recoiled at Nugent's vision of corporate responsibility.
Many corporate chains stay abreast of state regulation development as a matter of course.
Bartleson said he regularly gets form letters from corporate chains asking about updates to state regulations. Some corporations have agents on retainer in some states to keep them informed of state regulations. Some agents often double as lobbyists. On Feb. 12, Jack in Box announced that it would begin trying to keep track of new regulations through a filing and database system. McDonald's, which has about as many restaurants in Washington as Jack in the Box, has had such a representative for some time.