Bill Text: MI SB0764 | 2025-2026 | 103rd Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Trade: business regulation; open-captioned showings of films; require for certain movie theaters. Creates new act.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-01-14 - Referred To Committee On Regulatory Affairs [SB0764 Detail]
Download: Michigan-2025-SB0764-Introduced.html
SENATE BILL NO. 764
An act to require open movie captioning at certain motion picture houses; and to provide for the powers and duties of certain state and local governmental officers and entities.
the people of the state of michigan enact:
Sec. 1. This act may be cited as the "open caption accessibility act".
(a) "Department" means the department of attorney general.
(b) "Motion picture" means an audiovisual work that consists of a series of related images that, when shown in succession, impart an impression of motion, together with accompanying sounds, if any.
(c) "Motion picture house" means a place of public accommodation that primarily provides access to screenings of motion pictures.
(d) "Open movie captioning" means a transcript or dialog of the audio portion of a motion picture that is displayed on a screen at a motion picture house that cannot be turned off by a viewer.
(e) "Person" means an individual or a partnership, corporation, limited liability company, association, governmental entity, or other legal entity. Person includes all subsidiaries or affiliates of an individual, business entity, or other legal entity.
Sec. 5. (1) Subject to subsection (2), a person that controls, operates, owns, or leases a motion picture house with 8 or more screens shall provide open movie captioning for not fewer than 2 screenings a week for each motion picture that the motion picture house screens if both of the following apply:
(a) The motion picture is screened 5 or more times from Friday to Thursday at the motion picture house.
(b) The motion picture is produced and available to a motion picture house with open movie captioning.
(2) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, a person shall provide open movie captioning as described under subsection (1) for not less than the initial 3 weeks after the first screening of the motion picture at the motion picture house. If a motion picture at the motion picture house is screened for less than 3 weeks, the person shall provide open movie captioning as described under subsection (1) for the duration of the screening of the motion picture at the motion picture house.
(3) After the time period described under subsection (2), a person shall provide open movie captioning for a motion picture not fewer than 1 time a week on a weekday evening or a weekend and on request from an individual if the individual submits a request within a reasonable time frame before the screening of the motion picture, as permitted under Title III of the Americans with disabilities act of 1990, 42 USC 12181 to 12189.
(4) If a person schedules open movie captioning for a motion picture and willfully cancels the screening of the motion picture with open movie captioning before the screening occurs, that person is not in compliance with the requirements of this section. A cancellation beyond the person's control, including, but not limited to, equipment failure, weather, government order, or studio content error, is not a willful cancellation.
(5) A person subject to this section shall advertise the date and time of a motion picture screening with open movie captioning as required under this section in the same manner as all other motion pictures screened by that person.
(6) A person subject to this section shall post in an area of the motion picture house that is open to the general public a notice that states an individual may request a screening of a motion picture with open movie captioning. The notice must include how an individual may request the screening of a motion picture with open movie captioning and to whom the request should be made.
Sec. 6. The department may request information from a motion picture house regarding screenings of a motion picture by written or verbal inquiry, conference, or any other method or combination of methods.
Sec. 7. (1) The department shall establish a process for a consumer to submit a report of an alleged violation of this act. The department shall review a report received under this section and investigate, if necessary.
(2) If a report received under subsection (1) is related to an alleged violation involving discrimination based on an individual's disability, the department shall refer the report to the department of civil rights.
