Assembly Bill A3069

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3069
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 23, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  ROSENTHAL  --  read once and referred to the
   Committee on Transportation
 
 AN ACT to amend the transportation law, in  relation  to  requiring  the
   provision  of  assistive  listening  systems  in New York state public
   transportation terminals

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1.  The transportation law is amended by adding a new section
 15-d to read as follows:
   § 15-D. ACCESSIBLE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM; ASSISTIVE LISTENING SYSTEMS.
 1. ALL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION TERMINALS  INCLUDING  BUT  NOT  LIMITED  TO
 AIRPORTS, BUS STATIONS, REST AREAS, AND RAILROAD STATIONS LOCATED WITHIN
 THE  STATE  SHALL BE EQUIPPED AND MAINTAINED WITH AN ASSISTIVE LISTENING
 SYSTEM FOR USE BY PEOPLE WHO ARE HARD OF HEARING WHO REQUIRE THE USE  OF
 SUCH  A  SYSTEM  TO IMPROVE THEIR RECEPTION OF SOUND. STANDARDS FOR SUCH
 SYSTEMS SHALL BE DEVELOPED BY THE STATE  FIRE  PREVENTION  AND  BUILDING
 CODE  COUNCIL  UPON RECEIVING RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE ADVISORY BOARD ON
 ASSISTIVE LISTENING SYSTEMS IN PLACES  OF  PUBLIC  ASSEMBLY,  AND  SHALL
 PROVIDE FOR:
   (A)  ANNOUNCEMENTS TO PASSENGERS, INCLUDING EMERGENCY INSTRUCTIONS, TO
 BE CAPTIONED IN REAL TIME ON SCREENS IN AIRPORTS AND RAIL STATIONS;
   (B) PROMINENTLY DISPLAY APPROPRIATE SIGNAGE AND USING SPECIFIC SYMBOLS
 INDICATING THE TYPE OF ASSISTIVE LISTENING SYSTEMS AVAILABLE; AND
   (C) MICROPHONE SYSTEMS SUFFICIENT TO SUPPORT A HEARING-AID  COMPATIBLE
 ASSISTIVE  LISTENING  SYSTEM. DISPLAY THE UNIVERSAL SYMBOL FOR ASSISTIVE
 LISTENING AT TICKETING AND INFORMATION BOOTHS AND THE AREAS WHERE IT  IS
 AVAILABLE.
   2.  THE  COMMISSIONER IS AUTHORIZED TO PROMULGATE SUCH RULES AND REGU-
 LATIONS AS SUCH COMMISSIONER DEEMS NECESSARY TO CARRY OUT THE PROVISIONS
 OF THIS SECTION.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD05286-01-5
 A. 3069                             2
              

 
   3. THE PROVISIONS OF THIS  SECTION  SHALL  NOT  APPLY  TO  PRIVATE-USE
 AIRPORTS OR RAILROAD TERMINALS.
   4. ALL FACILITIES SUBJECT TO THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION SHALL HAVE
 A  COMPLIANT  ASSISTIVE  LISTENING  SYSTEM  INSTALLED  AND AVAILABLE FOR
 PUBLIC USE BY A DATE NO LATER THAN THIRTY-SIX MONTHS AFTER THE EFFECTIVE
 DATE OF THIS SECTION.
   5. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION:
   A. "AIRPORT" HAS THE SAME MEANING AS SUCH TERM IS DEFINED IN  SUBDIVI-
 SION FIVE OF SECTION TWO HUNDRED FORTY OF THE GENERAL BUSINESS LAW;
   B. "ASSISTIVE LISTENING SYSTEM" SHALL MEAN SITUATIONAL-PERSONAL ACOUS-
 TIC  COMMUNICATION  EQUIPMENT  DESIGNED  TO IMPROVE THE TRANSMISSION AND
 AUDITORY RECEPTION OF SOUND. SUCH SYSTEM SHALL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMIT-
 ED TO THE USE OF STANDARD AMPLITUDE  MODULATION,  FREQUENCY  MODULATION,
 INDUCTION  LOOP,  INFRARED  SYSTEM  (IR),  OR  HARD WIRED INDUCTION LOOP
 SYSTEM;
   C. "PRIVATE-USE" REFERS TO AN AIRPORT TERMINAL, BUS STATION  OR  RAIL-
 ROAD  STATION  USED EXCLUSIVELY BY THE OWNER THEREOF AND PERSONS AUTHOR-
 IZED BY SUCH OWNER;
   D. "PUBLIC-USE" REFERS TO AN AIRPORT TERMINAL, BUS STATION, REST AREA,
 RAILROAD STATION OR OTHER PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION TERMINAL  AVAILABLE  FOR
 USE  BY  THE GENERAL PUBLIC WITHOUT A REQUIREMENT FOR THE PRIOR APPROVAL
 OF THE OWNER OR OPERATOR THEREOF EXCEPT AS MAY BE  REQUIRED  BY  FEDERAL
 LAW OR REGULATION; AND
   E.  "RAILROAD" HAS THE SAME MEANING AS SUCH TERM IS DEFINED IN SECTION
 TWO OF THIS CHAPTER.
   § 2. The transportation law is amended by adding a new section 15-e to
 read as follows:
   § 15-E. VISUAL EMERGENCY ALARM. 1. ALL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION TERMINALS
 INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO AIRPORTS, BUS  STATIONS,  REST  AREAS,  AND
 RAILROAD  STATIONS  SHALL  BE EQUIPPED WITH VISUAL ALARM ELEMENTS SUFFI-
 CIENT TO COMMUNICATE EFFECTIVELY FOR EMERGENCY EVACUATION  MEASURES  FOR
 USE  BY  PEOPLE WHO ARE DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING NO LATER THAN THIRTY-SIX
 MONTHS AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS SECTION.
   2. STANDARDS FOR SUCH ALARMS SHALL BE  DEVELOPED  BY  THE  STATE  FIRE
 PREVENTION AND BUILDING CODE COUNCIL UPON RECEIVING RECOMMENDATIONS FROM
 THE  ADVISORY  BOARD  ON ASSISTIVE LISTENING SYSTEMS IN PLACES OF PUBLIC
 ASSEMBLY; PROVIDED THAT SUCH VISUAL ELEMENT SHALL NOT  UTILIZE  BLINKING
 LIGHTS  AND  SHALL  BE  DESIGNED  TO MINIMIZE THE POSSIBILITY OR RISK OF
 TRIGGERING SEIZURES IN PERSONS WHO HAVE EPILEPSY OR PHOTOSENSITIVITY.
   § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
 it shall have become a law.  Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be  made  and
 completed on or before such effective date.