Bill Text: NY S08523 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Permits employees of public utility corporations or public utility companies access to certain restroom facilities without being a paying customer.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2022-06-01 - referred to consumer affairs and protection [S08523 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S08523-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8523

                    IN SENATE

                                      March 8, 2022
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  SAVINO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Consumer Protection

        AN ACT to amend the general business  law,  in  relation  to  permitting
          employees  of  public  utilities access to certain restroom facilities
          without being a paying customer

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

     1    Section 1. The general business law is amended by adding a new section
     2  399-k to read as follows:
     3    §  399-k.  Access to restroom facilities.  1. A place of business open
     4  to the general public for the sale of  goods  or  services  that  has  a
     5  toilet  facility  for  its  employees  shall allow any individual who is
     6  lawfully on the premises of such place of business to  use  that  toilet
     7  facility  during  normal  business  hours, even if the place of business
     8  does not normally make the employee toilet  facility  available  to  the
     9  public, provided that all of the following conditions are met:
    10    a.  the  individual requesting the use of the employee toilet facility
    11  is an employee of a public utility company or a  public  utility  corpo-
    12  ration  as  defined  in  section two of the public service law, provided
    13  that the place of business may require the individual to present reason-
    14  able evidence that the individual is an employee of such public  utility
    15  entity;
    16    b.  two  or more employees of the place of business are working at the
    17  time the individual requests use of the employee toilet facility;
    18    c. the employee toilet facility  is  not  located  in  an  area  where
    19  providing  access  would  create an obvious health or safety risk to the
    20  requesting individual or create an obvious security risk to the place of
    21  business;
    22    d. use of the toilet facility would not create an  obvious  health  or
    23  safety risk to the requesting individual; and
    24    e.  a  public restroom is not immediately accessible to the requesting
    25  individual.
    26    2. A violation of the provisions of this section shall  be  punishable
    27  by  a  civil  penalty  not  to  exceed  five  hundred  dollars  for each
    28  violation.
    29    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD09458-01-1