Bill Text: NY A02467 | 2009-2010 | General Assembly | Amended

New York Assembly Bill 2467 (Prior Session Legislation)

Amended

Bill Title: Enacts the accessible electronic information act for blind and disabled persons; creates a new fund in the state finance law.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 18-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-06-25 - reported referred to rules [A02467 Detail]

Download: New_York-2009-A02467-Amended.html

                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                        2467--B
                              2009-2010 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                   January 16, 2009
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  M. of A. PRETLOW, KELLNER, MILLMAN, ORTIZ, HOYT, ESPAIL-
         LAT, WRIGHT, PERRY, DelMONTE, ROSENTHAL -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of
         A. BRENNAN, DenDEKKER, LUPARDO, MAISEL, MARKEY, McENENY, TOWNS,  WEIS-
         ENBERG  --  read  once  and referred to the Committee on Corporations,
         Authorities and Commissions -- recommitted to the Committee on  Corpo-
         rations,  Authorities and Commissions in accordance with Assembly Rule
         3, sec. 2 -- reported and referred to the Committee on Ways and  Means
         --  committee  discharged,  bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended
         and recommitted to said committee -- again reported from said  commit-
         tee  with  amendments, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to
         said committee
       AN ACT to amend the public service law and the  state  finance  law,  in
         relation to enacting the accessible electronic information act
         THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section 1. Short title.  This act shall be known and may be  cited  as
    2  the "accessible electronic information act".
    3    S 2. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 92-g to
    4  read as follows:
    5    S 92-G. ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONIC INFORMATION; BLIND AND DISABLED PERSONS.
    6  1.  A  QUALIFIED NOT-FOR-PROFIT ENTITY CAPABLE OF PROVIDING SUCH SERVICE
    7  SHALL PROVIDE AN ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONIC INFORMATION SERVICE FOR  ELIGIBLE
    8  BLIND  AND DISABLED PERSONS. THIS SERVICE SHALL BE PLANNED FOR CONTINUA-
    9  TION FROM YEAR TO YEAR AND MAKE MAXIMUM USE OF FEDERAL AND  OTHER  FUNDS
   10  AVAILABLE  BY  OBTAINING  GRANT  OR  IN-KIND  SUPPORT  FROM  APPROPRIATE
   11  PROGRAMS AND SECURING ACCESS TO LOW-COST INTERSTATE RATES FOR TELECOMMU-
   12  NICATIONS BY REIMBURSEMENT OR OTHERWISE.
   13    2. AS USED IN THIS SECTION, THE FOLLOWING TERMS SHALL HAVE THE FOLLOW-
   14  ING MEANINGS, UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED:
   15    (A) "ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONIC INFORMATION SERVICE" MEANS NEWS  AND  OTHER
   16  TIMELY  INFORMATION (INCLUDING NEWSPAPERS) PROVIDED TO ELIGIBLE INDIVID-
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD00928-05-0
       A. 2467--B                          2
    1  UALS FROM A MULTI-STATE SERVICE CENTER, USING HIGH-SPEED  COMPUTERS  AND
    2  TELECOMMUNICATIONS  TECHNOLOGY FOR INTERSTATE ACQUISITION OF CONTENT AND
    3  RAPID DISTRIBUTION IN A FORM APPROPRIATE FOR USE BY SUCH INDIVIDUALS;
    4    (B)  "BLIND  AND  DISABLED  PERSONS"  MEANS  THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE
    5  ELIGIBLE FOR LIBRARY LOAN SERVICES THROUGH THE LIBRARY OF  CONGRESS  AND
    6  THE  STATE  LIBRARY FOR THE BLIND AND PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED PURSUANT TO
    7  36 CFR 701.10(B);
    8    (C) "DIRECTOR" MEANS THE DIRECTOR OF THE SELECTED NOT-FOR-PROFIT ENTI-
    9  TY;
   10    (D) "QUALIFIED ENTITY" MEANS A NOT-FOR-PROFIT ENTITY WITHIN THIS STATE
   11  CAPABLE OF PROVIDING ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONIC INFORMATION SERVICES WHICH:
   12    (I) PROVIDES INTERSTATE ACCESS FOR  ELIGIBLE  PERSONS  TO  READ  DAILY
   13  NEWSPAPERS PRODUCING AUDIO EDITIONS BY COMPUTER, AND
   14    (II)  PROVIDES  A MEANS OF PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION AND READER REGISTRA-
   15  TION ON THE INTERNET.
   16    S 3. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 99-r  to
   17  read as follows:
   18    S  99-R.  ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONIC INFORMATION SERVICE FUND.  1. THERE IS
   19  HEREBY ESTABLISHED IN THE CUSTODY OF THE  STATE  COMPTROLLER  A  SPECIAL
   20  REVENUE  FUND  TO  BE  KNOWN  AS  THE "ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONIC INFORMATION
   21  SERVICE FUND".
   22    2. NOTHING CONTAINED IN THIS SECTION  SHALL  PREVENT  THE  STATE  FROM
   23  RECEIVING  GRANTS, GIFTS OR BEQUESTS AND DEPOSITING THEM INTO THE ACCES-
   24  SIBLE ELECTRONIC INFORMATION SERVICE FUND ACCORDING TO LAW.
   25    3. THE ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONIC INFORMATION SERVICE FUND SHALL BE  ADMIN-
   26  ISTERED  BY  THE  PUBLIC  SERVICE  COMMISSION,  IN CONSULTATION WITH THE
   27  DIRECTOR, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THIS SECTION.
   28    4. THE TARGETED ACCESSIBILITY FUND, INC., ESTABLISHED  BY  THE  PUBLIC
   29  SERVICE  COMMISSION IN ITS "ORDER AND OPINION 98-10", MAY ALLOCATE FUNDS
   30  FOR THE PURPOSE OF  PROVIDING  ELECTRONIC  DISTRIBUTION  OF  NEWSPAPERS,
   31  PERIODICALS,  TIME  SENSITIVE MATERIALS, AND OTHER INFORMATION WHICH MAY
   32  BE OF BENEFIT TO THE COMMUNITY.
   33    S 4. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
   34  have  become  a  law; provided, however, that effective immediately, the
   35  addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule  or  regulation  necessary
   36  for  the  implementation of this act on its effective date is authorized
   37  and directed to be made and completed on or before such effective date.