Assembly Bill A11468

                            
                    S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
________________________________________________________________________

                                  11468

                          I N  A S S E M B L Y

                              June 16, 2010
                               ___________

Introduced  by  COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Cahill) --
  read once and referred to the Committee on Transportation

AN ACT to amend the transportation law and  the  civil  rights  law,  in
  relation  to  allowing  therapy dogs to enter public places and public
  transportation

  THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  Section  1. Section 147 of the transportation law, as amended by chap-
ter 404 of the laws of 1986, is amended to read as follows:
  S 147. Dogs accompanying persons with a disability.   (A)  Subject  to
such rules and regulations as the commissioner may prescribe, all common
and  contract  carriers  of  passengers  by motor vehicle shall permit a
guide dog, hearing  dog  [or],  service  dog  OR  THERAPY  DOG  properly
harnessed, accompanying a person with a disability, as defined in subdi-
vision  twenty-one  of  section  two hundred ninety-two of the executive
law, OR AN OWNER OR HANDLER OF SUCH DOGS OR  SUCH  PERSONS  LICENSED  TO
TRAIN  SUCH  DOGS  to aid and guide such DISABLED person, to ride on all
vehicles operated for transportation and no charge shall be made for the
transportation of such dog.
  (B) FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, "THERAPY DOG"  SHALL  MEAN  ANY  DOG
THAT  IS CERTIFIED AND TRAINED TO WORK OR PERFORM SPECIFIC TASKS FOR THE
BENEFIT OF PERSONS INCLUDING THOSE  WITH  SPECIAL  NEEDS,  AUTISM,  DRUG
ADDICTION,  DISTRESS  DUE  TO  EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL ABUSE AND CLINICAL
DEPRESSION OR BIPOLAR DISEASE  BY  A  RECOGNIZED  THERAPY  DOG  TRAINING
CENTER OR PROFESSIONAL THERAPY DOG TRAINER AND IS ACTUALLY USED FOR SUCH
PURPOSE.
  S  2.  Subdivision 1 of section 47 of the civil rights law, as amended
by chapter 404 of the laws of 1986, is amended to read as follows:
  1. (A) No person shall be denied admittance to and/or the equal use of
and enjoyment of any public facility solely because  said  person  is  a
person  with a disability and is accompanied by a guide dog, hearing dog
[or], service dog OR THERAPY DOG OR IS AN OWNER OR HANDLER OF  SUCH  DOG
OR OTHERWISE A PERSON LICENSED TO TRAIN SUCH DOGS.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                      [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                           LBD17344-03-0
              

A. 11468                            2

  (B)  FOR  PURPOSES  OF  THIS SECTION, "THERAPY DOG" SHALL MEAN ANY DOG
THAT IS CERTIFIED AND TRAINED TO WORK OR PERFORM SPECIFIC TASKS FOR  THE
BENEFIT  OF  PERSONS  INCLUDING  THOSE  WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, AUTISM, DRUG
ADDICTION, DISTRESS DUE TO EMOTIONAL AND  PHYSICAL  ABUSE  AND  CLINICAL
DEPRESSION  OR  BIPOLAR  DISEASE  BY  A  RECOGNIZED THERAPY DOG TRAINING
CENTER OR PROFESSIONAL THERAPY DOG TRAINER AND IS ACTUALLY USED FOR SUCH
PURPOSE.
  S 3. This act shall take effect immediately.