New York A 4628: Requires certain motion picture theaters to provide scheduled showings of motion pictures with open motion picture captioning

Bill Text

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A04628 Summary:

BILL NOA04628B

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SAME ASSAME AS S09888-A

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SPONSORSeawright

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COSPNSRRosenthal, Woerner, Simone, Reyes, Alvarez, Shimsky, Gallagher, Schiavoni, Zinerman, Forrest,
 Hevesi, Tapia, Lupardo, Simon, Levenberg, McMahon, Raga, Hooks

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MLTSPNSR

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Add Art 44-C §§1450 - 1454, Gen Bus L

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Requires a motion picture theater that offers more than ten motion picture showings per week to provide scheduled showings of motion pictures with open motion picture captioning such that at least one quarter of all showings of a motion picture with four or more showings during a one-week time period shall have open motion picture captioning; provides exceptions and penalties for violations.

Go to top A04628 Actions:

BILL NOA04628B

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02/04/2025referred to consumer affairs and protection

05/02/2025amend and recommit to consumer affairs and protection

05/02/2025print number 4628a

05/06/2025reported referred to codes

01/07/2026referred to codes

05/13/2026amend and recommit to codes

05/13/2026print number 4628b

Go to topA04628 Committee&nbspVotes:

Committee:CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND PROTECTION Chair:Rozic 
DATE:05/06/2025AYE/NAY:11/5 Action: Favorable refer to committee Codes RozicAyeMikulinNay

FallAyeMillerNay

GallagherAyeBlumencranzNay

RajkumarAyeDursoNay

ForrestAyeBolognaNay

BoresAye

LeeAye

AlvarezAye

CunninghamAye

TorresAye

CarrollAye

Go to topA04628 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topA04628 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 4628--B

 2025-2026 Regular Sessions

 IN ASSEMBLY

 February 4, 2025
 ___________

 Introduced by M. of A. SEAWRIGHT, ROSENTHAL, WOERNER, SIMONE, REYES,
 ALVAREZ, SHIMSKY, GALLAGHER, SCHIAVONI, ZINERMAN, FORREST, HEVESI,
 TAPIA, LUPARDO, SIMON, LEVENBERG, McMAHON, RAGA, HOOKS -- read once
 and referred to the Committee on Consumer Affairs and Protection --
 committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and
 recommitted to said committee -- reported and referred to the Commit-
 tee on Codes -- recommitted to the Committee on Codes in accordance
 with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged, bill amended,
 ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

 AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to requiring
 certain motion picture theaters to provide scheduled showings of
 motion pictures with open motion picture captioning

 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 article
 2 44-C to read as follows:

 3 ARTICLE 44-C
 4 OPEN CAPTIONING
 5 Section 1450. Definitions.
 6 1451. Open motion picture captioning required.
 7 1452. Violations.
 8 1453. Preemption.
 9 1454. Exemptions.
 10 § 1450. Definitions. For the purposes of this article, the following
 11 terms shall have the following meanings:
 12 1. "Motion picture" means a story or event recorded by a camera as a
 13 set of moving images.
 14 2. "Motion picture theater" means an entity in the business of provid-
 15 ing showings of motion pictures to the general public.

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD02942-06-6

 A. 4628--B 2

 1 3. "Open motion picture captioning" means the written, on-screen
 2 display of a motion picture's dialogue and non-speech information,
 3 including music, the identity of the character who is speaking, and
 4 other sounds and sound effects.
 5 4. "Peak motion picture attendance hours" means the hours between five
 6 fifty-nine in the evening and one minute past eleven o'clock in the
 7 evening on Friday and the hours between eleven twenty-nine in the morn-
 8 ing and one minute past eleven o'clock in the evening on Saturday or
 9 Sunday.
 10 § 1451. Open motion picture captioning required. 1. A motion picture
 11 theater that offers more than ten motion picture showings per week shall
 12 provide scheduled showings of motion pictures with open motion picture
 13 captioning for at least one quarter of all showings of a motion picture
 14 with four or more showings during a one-week time period. Provided that
 15 no more than four open