A 1495: Requires public buildings which are or contain an area of public assembly or service to have equipped and installed an induction loop listening system for use by persons who are deaf or hard of hearing.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1495 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY January 10, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. SIMON, WOERNER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Governmental Operations AN ACT to amend the public buildings law, in relation to induction loop listening systems The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 53 of the public buildings law, as amended by chap- 2 ter 23 of the laws of 1989, subdivision 1 as amended by chapter 221 of 3 the laws of 2018, is amended to read as follows: 4 § 53. [Assistive] Induction loop listening systems. 1. (a) All new 5 public buildings, construction of which commences after January first, 6 nineteen hundred ninety-one, [containing] which are or contain within an 7 [auditorium, theater, meeting hall, hearing room, amphitheater, or room 8 used in any similar capacity which are so designated by the appropriate 9 building and fire code] area of public assembly or service, shall have 10 equipped and installed an [assistive] induction loop listening system 11 for use by persons who are deaf or hard of hearing who require the use 12 of such a system to improve their reception of sound. 13 (b) The owner of any public building which is or contains within an 14 area of public assembly or service and has an induction loop listening 15 system installed and equipped shall post in a clear and conspicuous 16 manner permanently mounted signage to indicate to visitors that such 17 induction loop listening system is available. 18 (c) On a biennial basis, the owner of any public building which is or 19 contains within an area of public assembly or service and has an 20 induction loop listening system installed and equipped shall complete a 21 self-certification form and submit such form to the state fire 22 prevention and building code council, attesting that such induction loop 23 listening system continues to be functional. 24 2. Standards for such systems shall be developed by the state fire 25 prevention and building code council upon receiving recommendations from EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD04704-01-5 
 A. 1495 2 1 the advisory board on [assistive] induction loop listening systems in 2 places of public assembly. 3 3. For purposes of this section, the [term] following terms shall have 4 the following meanings: 5 (a) "[assistive] Induction loop listening system" shall mean [situa- 6 tional-personal acoustic communication equipment designed to improve the 7 transmission and auditory reception of sound] a hardwired assistive 8 listening system through which a loop of wire around an area of a build- 9 ing produces a signal, or a hardwired countertop version that produces a 10 signal, received directly by hearing aids and cochlear implants equipped 11 with telecoil features used by persons with hearing loss. 12 (b) "Area of public assembly or service" shall mean a building or 13 structure, or space within a building or structure, that is regularly 14 open for public gatherings, including an auditorium, theater, meeting 15 room or hall, courtroom, community center, amphitheater, library, phar- 16 macy counter, information desk at a medical facility, a waiting area for 17 a medical office, bank teller area, car rental business, restaurant, 18 bar, or other food or beverage counter service location, coat check 19 area, grocery store check-out area, ticket payment location, or any 20 other room used in any similar capacity which are so designated by the 21 appropriate building and fire code. 22 § 2. The state fire prevention and building code council shall update 23 and amend any applicable building and fire codes to carry out the 24 provisions of section 53 of the public buildings law. 25 § 3. This act shall take effect seven months after it shall have 26 become a law.