Bill Text: NY A00959 | 2013-2014 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Provides improved access to taxicabs for persons with disabilities and authorizes the sale of 2,000 additional wheelchair accessible taxicab licenses in NYC; provides for the NYC taxi and limousine commissioner to set aside up to $100,000,000, but not less than $75,000,000, for the modification and upkeep of all medallion taxicabs and to offset any additional costs of medallion owners.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-01-08 - referred to cities [A00959 Detail]
Download: New_York-2013-A00959-Amended.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 959--A 2013-2014 Regular Sessions I N A S S E M B L Y (PREFILED) January 9, 2013 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. KELLNER, WEISENBERG, DINOWITZ, BARRON, MILLMAN, HOOPER, WEPRIN -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. FARRELL, GLICK, GOTT- FRIED -- read once and referred to the Committee on Cities -- commit- tee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recom- mitted to said committee AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in relation to providing for improved access to taxicabs for persons with disabilities THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: 1 Section 1. Section 181 of the general municipal law, as amended by 2 chapter 579 of the laws of 1993, subdivision 1 as separately amended by 3 chapters 382 and 385 of the laws of 2012, is amended to read as follows: 4 S 181. Ordinances to regulate taxicabs and limousines. 1. The munici- 5 pal officers and boards in the several cities, towns and villages of 6 this state now having the authority to enact ordinances, may adopt ordi- 7 nances regulating: 8 [1.] (A) The registration and licensing of taxicabs and may limit the 9 number of taxicabs to be licensed and the county of Westchester may 10 adopt ordinances regulating the registration and licensing of taxicabs 11 and limousines and may limit the number to be licensed; the county of 12 Nassau may adopt ordinances regulating the registration of taxicabs and 13 limousines; and the county of Suffolk may adopt ordinances regulating 14 the registration of taxicabs, limousines, and livery vehicles; and the 15 county of Rockland may adopt local laws or ordinances regulating the 16 registration and licensing of taxicabs, limousines, and livery vehicles 17 and may limit the number to be licensed. 18 [2.] (B) Parking and passenger pick-up and discharge by taxicabs, 19 limousines and livery vehicles. Establishment of such ordinances and 20 regulations regulating parking and passenger pick-up and discharges may 21 be based upon recommendations from municipal planning officials or other EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD01883-04-3 A. 959--A 2 1 public entities and may address and take into consideration such 2 factors, including, but not limited to, geographic areas, vehicle type, 3 limiting the number of parked vehicles and activities undertaken while 4 parked, and periods of idling. 5 2. THE MUNICIPAL OFFICERS AND BOARDS IN ANY CITY HAVING A POPULATION 6 OF MORE THAN ONE MILLION SHALL NO LATER THAN APRIL THIRTIETH, TWO THOU- 7 SAND FIFTEEN ADOPT ORDINANCES PROVIDING: 8 (A) THAT "ACCESSIBLE TAXICAB" SHALL MEAN ANY VEHICLE THAT 9 (1) IS EQUIPPED WITH A LIFT, RAMP, OR ANY OTHER DEVICE, ARRANGEMENT OR 10 ALTERATION, SO IT IS CAPABLE OF TRANSPORTING PERSONS WITH PHYSICAL DISA- 11 BILITIES, INCLUDING THOSE WHO USE WHEELCHAIRS, SCOOTERS AND SIMILAR 12 DEVICES WHILE THEY REMAIN SEATED IN THEIR WHEELCHAIRS, SCOOTERS OR SIMI- 13 LAR DEVICES; 14 (2) COMPLIES WITH THE SPECIFICATIONS SET FORTH IN REGULATIONS PROMUL- 15 GATED UNDER THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT AND CODIFIED AT 49 16 C.F.R. SECTIONS 38.23, 38.25 AND 38.31, AS AMENDED, WHETHER OR NOT THOSE 17 REGULATIONS WOULD APPLY UNDER FEDERAL LAW; 18 (3) IS EQUIPPED WITH AN ASSISTIVE LISTENING SYSTEM FOR PERSONS WITH 19 HEARING IMPAIRMENT THAT IS CONNECTED WITH ANY INTERCOM, VIDEO OR AUDIO 20 SYSTEM, WHEN SUCH A SYSTEM IS INSTALLED; 21 (4) ASSURES THAT THE TECHNOLOGY UTILIZED BY TAXICABS IS COMPLIANT WITH 22 THE STANDARDS PROMULGATED BY THE COMMISSIONER OF TRANSPORTATION; 23 PROVIDED THAT A LOCAL AUTHORITY WITH OVERSIGHT OVER TAXICABS, LIMOUSINES 24 AND LIVERY VEHICLES MAY CONDUCT PILOT PROGRAMS TESTING NEW SYSTEMS; 25 (5) IS EQUIPPED WITH STANDARDIZED SIGNS PRINTED IN: (A) BRAILLE; AND 26 (B) LARGE-PRINT TEXT SO THAT SUCH SIGNS ARE VISIBLE TO PERSONS WITH LOW 27 VISION; 28 (6) PROVIDES SUFFICIENT FLOOR SPACE TO ACCOMMODATE A SERVICE ANIMAL; 29 AND 30 (7) IF POWERED BY A HYBRID-ELECTRIC POWER PLANT, IS EQUIPPED WITH AN 31 APPROPRIATE DEVICE TO ENABLE PERSONS WHO ARE BLIND TO HEAR THE APPROACH 32 OF THE VEHICLE AS READILY AS THEY CAN HEAR A CONVENTIONAL GASOLINE-POW- 33 ERED TAXICAB. 34 (B) THAT NO OWNER OF A TAXICAB SHALL PLACE ANY TAXICAB INTO SERVICE 35 SUBSEQUENT TO OCTOBER FIRST, TWO THOUSAND SIXTEEN WHICH TAXICAB IS NOT 36 AN ACCESSIBLE TAXICAB. 37 3. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, THE TERM "ASSISTIVE LISTENING SYSTEM" 38 SHALL MEAN SITUATIONAL-PERSONAL ACOUSTIC COMMUNICATION EQUIPMENT 39 DESIGNED TO IMPROVE THE TRANSMISSION AND AUDITORY RECEPTION OF SOUND. 40 SUCH SYSTEM SHALL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO THE USE OF STANDARD 41 AMPLITUDE MODULATION (AM), FREQUENCY MODULATION (FM), AUDIO INDUCTION 42 LOOP, INFRARED LIGHT SOUND, OR HARD WIRE SYSTEMS. 43 S 2. (a) Accessible taxicab license issuance. The city of New York 44 may, by local law, authorize the New York city taxi and limousine 45 commission (TLC) or its successor agency to issue up to two thousand 46 taxicab licenses in addition to those already issued, provided, however, 47 that such taxicab licenses shall be restricted to vehicles designated 48 for the purpose of transporting persons in wheelchairs or containing a 49 physical device or alteration designed to permit access to and enable 50 the transportation of persons in wheelchairs in accordance with the 51 Americans with Disabilities Act, provided further that such additional 52 licenses shall be issued by public sale and shall be fully transferable. 53 (b) The TLC shall prescribe by regulation the procedures for the issu- 54 ance and public sale of such additional licenses, by public auction, 55 sealed bids or other competitive process. For the purposes of this 56 subdivision, the term "wheelchair accessible taxicab" shall refer to a A. 959--A 3 1 vehicle that complies with federal regulations promulgated pursuant to 2 the Americans with Disabilities Act applicable to taxicabs under twen- 3 ty-two feet in length, by the federal Department of Transportation, in 4 Code of Federal Regulations, title 49, parts 37 and 38, and by the 5 federal Architecture and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, in 6 Code of Federal Regulations, title 36, section 1192.23, and the Federal 7 Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, Code of Federal Regulations, title 29, 8 part 57. 9 (c) From the sale of such additional 2,000 wheelchair accessible taxi- 10 cab licenses pursuant to subdivision (a) of this section, the TLC shall 11 set aside up to $100,000,000, but not less than $75,000,000, for the 12 modification and upkeep of all medallion taxicabs and to offset any 13 additional costs of medallion owners. The TLC shall determine the subsi- 14 dy based on the type of medallion issued. 15 S 3. The commissioner of transportation shall promulgate any rules, 16 regulations and standards necessary to give effect of the provisions of 17 this act, including, but not limited to rules, regulations and standards 18 concerning the standardization of assistive listening technology avail- 19 able in taxicabs and the content of signs available in taxicabs to visu- 20 ally impaired persons. 21 S 4. This act shall take effect immediately.