Bill Text: NY S08049 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires playgrounds in New York city parks, state parks, and municipalities to be universally accessible.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2026-01-07 - REFERRED TO CODES [S08049 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-S08049-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8049

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                      May 15, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes

        AN ACT to amend the civil rights law, the general municipal law and  the
          administrative  code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring
          universally accessible playgrounds in New York city and state parks

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

     1    Section  1.  The  civil  rights law is amended by adding a new section
     2  79-r to read as follows:
     3    § 79-r. Universally accessible playground equipment.  1.  Pursuant  to
     4  section  forty  of this chapter, all playgrounds in state parks shall be
     5  universally accessible. To the extent practicable, such accessible play-
     6  ground equipment shall be incorporated into the layout of  the  existing
     7  playground or proposed playground plan.
     8    2.  For  the  purposes of this section, the following terms shall have
     9  the following meanings:
    10    (a) "Disability" shall have the same meaning as defined in section two
    11  hundred ninety-two of the executive law.
    12    (b) "Universally accessible" shall mean that children  with  disabili-
    13  ties  can  use  their  typical  means of mobility to access a minimum of
    14  seventy percent of play activities.
    15    § 2. The general municipal law is amended by adding a new section  248
    16  to read as follows:
    17    §  248.  Universally accessible playground equipment. 1. All municipal
    18  playgrounds and neighborhood recreation  centers  shall  be  universally
    19  accessible. To the extent practicable, such accessible playground equip-
    20  ment shall be incorporated into the layout of the existing playground or
    21  proposed playground plan.
    22    2.  For  the  purposes of this section, the following terms shall have
    23  the following meanings:

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD13137-01-5
        S. 8049                             2

     1    (a) "Disability" shall have the same meaning as defined in section two
     2  hundred ninety-two of the executive law.
     3    (b)  "Universally  accessible" shall mean that children with disabili-
     4  ties can use their typical means of mobility  to  access  a  minimum  of
     5  seventy percent of play activities.
     6    §  3.  The  administrative  code of the city of New York is amended by
     7  adding a new section 18-166 to read as follows:
     8    § 18-166 Universally accessible playground  equipment.  1.  All  play-
     9  grounds  in  New York city parks shall be universally accessible. To the
    10  extent practicable, such accessible playground equipment shall be incor-
    11  porated into the layout of the existing  playground  or  proposed  play-
    12  ground plan.
    13    2.  For  the  purposes of this section, the following terms shall have
    14  the following meanings:
    15    (a) "Disability" shall have the same meaning as defined in section two
    16  hundred ninety-two of the executive law.
    17    (b) "Universally accessible" shall mean that children  with  disabili-
    18  ties  can  use  their  typical  means of mobility to access a minimum of
    19  seventy percent of play activities.
    20    § 4. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth  day  after  it  shall
    21  have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
    22  repeal  of  any  rule  or regulation necessary for the implementation of
    23  this act on its effective date are authorized to be made  and  completed
    24  on or before such effective date.