Bill Text: NY A07860 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Allows public campaign funds to be used for disability access services including but not limited to captioning, sign language interpretation, assistive listening device, Braille, large print, communication access real-time translation and accessible transportation services and to be used for language interpretation and translation services.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-05 - referred to election law [A07860 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-A07860-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          7860

                               2021-2022 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                      May 28, 2021
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. SIMON -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Election Law

        AN ACT to amend the election law and the administrative code of the city
          of New York, in relation to allowing certain campaign funds to be used
          for disability access services and language interpretation and  trans-
          lation services

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

     1    Section 1. Section 14-130 of the election law is amended by adding two
     2  new subdivisions 4-a and 4-b to read as follows:
     3    4-a. Nothing in this section shall prohibit  a  candidate  from  using
     4  campaign  contributions to pay for disability access services, including
     5  but not limited to captioning, sign language  interpretation,  assistive
     6  listening  device,  Braille, large print, communication access real-time
     7  translation (CART) and accessible transportation services.
     8    4-b. Nothing in this section shall prohibit  a  candidate  from  using
     9  campaign    contributions  to  pay for language interpretation or trans-
    10  lation services.
    11    § 2. Subdivision 1 of section 14-206 of the election law, as added  by
    12  section  4  of part ZZZ of chapter 58 of the laws of 2020, is amended to
    13  read as follows:
    14    1. Public matching funds provided pursuant to this title may  be  used
    15  only  by an authorized committee for expenditures to further the partic-
    16  ipating candidate's nomination for election  or  election[,  including].
    17  Such  expenditures may include paying for debts incurred within one year
    18  prior to an election to further the participating candidate's nomination
    19  for election or election and paying for disability  access  services  or
    20  language interpretation or translation services.
    21    §  3.  Section  14-204  of the election law is amended by adding a new
    22  subdivision 6 to read as follows:

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD10849-03-1
        A. 7860                             2

     1    6. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit the  amount  of
     2  public  funds  that  may  be  provided to a candidate for the purpose of
     3  paying for disability access  services  or  language  interpretation  or
     4  translation services.
     5    §  4.  Subparagraphs  12  and  13  of paragraph a of subdivision 21 of
     6  section 3-702 of the administrative  code  of  the  city  of  New  York,
     7  subparagraph  12  as  amended  and subparagraph 13 as added by local law
     8  number 196 of the city of New York for the year 2018,  are  amended  and
     9  two new subparagraphs 14 and 15 are added to read as follows:
    10    12.  Expenditures  to  facilitate, support, or otherwise assist in the
    11  execution or performance of the duties of public office; [and]
    12    13. Childcare services, provided that: (i) the candidate has  received
    13  an  approved  statement  of  campaign childcare eligibility, pursuant to
    14  subdivision 23 of this section, demonstrating that such services are for
    15  a child or children under thirteen years of age for whom  the  candidate
    16  is  a primary caregiver and that either the need for such services would
    17  not exist but for the  campaign  or  the  candidate  has  experienced  a
    18  significant loss of salary or wage earnings that would not have occurred
    19  but  for  the campaign; and (ii) that expenditures for such services may
    20  only be incurred during the calendar year of the election, and the  year
    21  immediately  preceding the calendar year of the election, and may not be
    22  incurred after such election is held[.];
    23    14. Disability access services, including but not limited to  caption-
    24  ing,  sign language interpretation, assistive listening device, Braille,
    25  large print,  communication  access  real-time  translation  (CART)  and
    26  accessible transportation services; and
    27    15. Language interpretation and translation services.
    28    §  5. Section 3-706 of the administrative code of the city of New York
    29  is amended by adding a new subdivision 6 to read as follows:
    30    6. Expenditures made for the purpose  of  disability  access  services
    31  pursuant  to  subparagraph 14 or language interpretation and translation
    32  services pursuant to subparagraph 15 of paragraph a of section 3-702  of
    33  this chapter shall not be limited by the expenditure limitations of this
    34  section.
    35    § 6. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    36  it  shall  have  become  a  law; provided, however that sections two and
    37  three of this act shall take effect on the same date  and  in  the  same
    38  manner as section 4 of part ZZZ of chapter 58 of the laws of 2020, takes
    39  effect.  Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of
    40  any  rule  or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on
    41  its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or  before
    42  such effective date.