New York S 9888: Requires certain motion picture theaters to provide scheduled showings of motion pictures with open motion picture captioning

Bill Text

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S09888 Summary:

BILL NOS09888A

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SAME ASSAME AS A04628-B

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SPONSORFERNANDEZ

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COSPNSRADDABBO, BOTTCHER, COONEY, JACKSON, KRUEGER, MAYER, MYRIE, PERSAUD, SALAZAR, SEPULVEDA

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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 S09888 Actions:

BILL NOS09888A

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04/13/2026REFERRED TO CONSUMER PROTECTION

05/12/2026REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO COMMERCE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND SMALL BUSINESS

05/13/2026AMEND AND RECOMMIT TO COMMERCE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND SMALL BUSINESS

05/13/2026PRINT NUMBER 9888A

Go to topS09888 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topS09888 Floor&nbspVotes:

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

Go to topS09888 Text:

 STATE OF NEW YORK
 ________________________________________________________________________

 9888--A

 IN SENATE

 April 13, 2026
 ___________

 Introduced by Sens. FERNANDEZ, ADDABBO, COONEY, JACKSON, KRUEGER, MYRIE,
 PERSAUD, SALAZAR, SEPULVEDA -- read twice and ordered printed, and
 when printed to be committed to the Committee on Consumer Protection
 -- reported favorably from said committee and committed to the Commit-
 tee on Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business -- 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.
 16 3. "Open motion picture captioning" means the written, on-screen
 17 display of a motion picture's dialogue and non-speech information,
 18 including music, the identity of the character who is speaking, and
 19 other sounds and sound effects.
 20 4. "Peak motion picture attendance hours" means the hours between five
 21 fifty-nine in the evening and one minute past eleven o'clock in the

 EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD02942-07-6

 S. 9888--A 2

 1 evening on Friday and the hours between eleven twenty-nine in the morn-
 2 ing and one minute past eleven o'clock in the evening on Saturday or
 3 Sunday.
 4 § 1451. Open motion picture captioning required. 1. A motion picture
 5 theater that offers more than ten motion picture showings per week shall
 6 provide scheduled showings of motion pictures with open motion picture
 7 captioning for at least one quarter of all showings of a motion picture
 8 with four or more showings during a one-week time period. Provided that
 9 no more than four open captioning showings of a single motion picture
 10 shall be required in a one-week time period.
 11 2. A motion picture that is produced and distributed without open
 12 motion picture captioning is not subject to the provisions of subdivi-
 13 sion one of this section.
 14 3. At least half of the scheduled showings required pursuant to subdi-
 15 vision one of this section shall begin and end within peak motion
 16 picture attendance hours, unless fewer than one in eight showings of a
 17 motion picture is screened during peak motion picture attendance hours,
 18 in which case this requirement is met if all screeni