Bill Text: NY A00789 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires the provision of assistive listening systems in New York state public transportation terminals.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to transportation [A00789 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A00789-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                           789

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    January 11, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  M.  of  A. L. ROSENTHAL -- read once and referred to the
          Committee on Transportation

        AN ACT to amend the transportation law, in  relation  to  requiring  the
          provision  of  assistive  listening  systems  in New York state public
          transportation terminals

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1.  The transportation law is amended by adding a new section
     2  15-d to read as follows:
     3    § 15-d. Accessible transportation system; assistive listening systems.
     4  1. All public transportation terminals  including  but  not  limited  to
     5  airports, bus stations, rest areas, and railroad stations located within
     6  the  state  shall be equipped and maintained with an assistive listening
     7  system for use by people who are hard of hearing who require the use  of
     8  such  a  system  to improve their reception of sound. Standards for such
     9  systems shall be developed by the state  fire  prevention  and  building
    10  code  council  upon receiving recommendations from the advisory board on
    11  assistive listening systems in places  of  public  assembly,  and  shall
    12  provide for:
    13    (a)  announcements to passengers, including emergency instructions, to
    14  be captioned in real time on screens in airports and rail stations;
    15    (b) prominently display appropriate signage and using specific symbols
    16  indicating the type of assistive listening systems available; and
    17    (c) microphone systems sufficient to support a hearing-aid  compatible
    18  assistive  listening  system. Display the universal symbol for assistive
    19  listening at ticketing and information booths and the areas where it  is
    20  available.
    21    2.  The  commissioner is authorized to promulgate such rules and regu-
    22  lations as he or she deems necessary to carry out the provisions of this
    23  subdivision.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD00943-01-3
        A. 789                              2

     1    3. The provisions of this  section  shall  not  apply  to  private-use
     2  airports or railroad terminals.
     3    4. All facilities subject to the provisions of this section shall have
     4  a  compliant  assistive  listening  system  installed  and available for
     5  public use by a date no later than thirty-six months after the effective
     6  date of this section.
     7    5. For purposes of this section:
     8    a. "airport" has the same meaning as such term is defined in  subdivi-
     9  sion five of section two hundred forty of the general business law;
    10    b. "assistive listening system" shall mean situational-personal acous-
    11  tic  communication  equipment  designed  to improve the transmission and
    12  auditory reception of sound. Such system shall include but not be limit-
    13  ed to the use of standard amplitude  modulation,  frequency  modulation,
    14  induction  loop,  infrared  system  (IR),  or  hard wired induction loop
    15  system;
    16    c. "private-use" refers to an airport terminal, bus station  or  rail-
    17  road  station  used exclusively by the owner thereof and persons author-
    18  ized by such owner;
    19    d. "public-use" refers to an airport terminal, bus station, rest area,
    20  railroad station or other public transportation terminal  available  for
    21  use  by  the general public without a requirement for the prior approval
    22  of the owner or operator thereof except as may be  required  by  federal
    23  law or regulation; and
    24    e.  "railroad" has the same meaning as such term is defined in section
    25  two of this chapter.
    26    § 2. The transportation law is amended by adding a new section 15-e to
    27  read as follows:
    28    § 15-e. Visual emergency alarm. 1. All public transportation terminals
    29  including but not limited to airports, bus  stations,  rest  areas,  and
    30  railroad  stations  shall  be equipped with visual alarm elements suffi-
    31  cient to communicate effectively for emergency evacuation  measures  for
    32  use  by  people who are deaf or hard of hearing no later than thirty-six
    33  months after the effective date of this section.
    34    2. Standards for such alarms shall be  developed  by  the  state  fire
    35  prevention and building code council upon receiving recommendations from
    36  the  advisory  board  on assistive listening systems in places of public
    37  assembly; provided that such visual element shall not  utilize  blinking
    38  lights  and  shall  be  designed  to minimize the possibility or risk of
    39  triggering seizures in persons who have epilepsy or photosensitivity.
    40    § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    41  it shall have become a law.  Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
    42  ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
    43  tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be  made  and
    44  completed on or before such effective date.