Bill Text: NY S02407 | 2011-2012 | General Assembly | Introduced


Bill Title: Clarifies the scope of protections against discrimination on the basis of disability in services provided by public entities including exclusion from participation or denial of benefits, services, programs or activities of a public entity and refusal of a public entity to make reasonable accommodations unless such entity can establish undue hardship; defines terms.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-01-04 - REFERRED TO INVESTIGATIONS AND GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS [S02407 Detail]

Download: New_York-2011-S02407-Introduced.html
                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         2407
                              2011-2012 Regular Sessions
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                   January 20, 2011
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  Sen.  MARCELLINO  -- read twice and ordered printed, and
         when printed to be committed to the Committee  on  Investigations  and
         Government Operations
       AN  ACT  to  amend  the  executive  law, in relation to certain unlawful
         discriminatory practices
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section  1.  Section 292 of the executive law is amended by adding two
    2  new subdivisions 35 and 36 to read as follows:
    3    35. THE TERM "PUBLIC ENTITY" MEANS THE STATE OR ANY POLITICAL SUBDIVI-
    4  SION THEREOF, AND ANY DEPARTMENT, AGENCY, SPECIAL PURPOSE  DISTRICT,  OR
    5  OTHER INSTRUMENTALITY OF THE STATE OR LOCAL GOVERNMENT.
    6    36. THE TERM "AUXILIARY AIDS AND SERVICES" INCLUDES:
    7    (A) QUALIFIED INTERPRETERS OR OTHER EFFECTIVE METHODS OF MAKING AURAL-
    8  LY  DELIVERED  MATERIALS  AVAILABLE  TO INDIVIDUALS WITH HEARING IMPAIR-
    9  MENTS;
   10    (B) QUALIFIED READERS, TAPED TEXT OR OTHER EFFECTIVE METHODS OF MAKING
   11  VISUALLY  DELIVERED  MATERIALS  AVAILABLE  TO  INDIVIDUALS  WITH  VISUAL
   12  IMPAIRMENTS;
   13    (C) ACQUISITION OR MODIFICATION OF EQUIPMENT OR DEVICES; AND
   14    (D) OTHER SIMILAR SERVICES AND ACTIONS.
   15    S  2.  Section 296 of the executive law is amended by adding three new
   16  subdivisions 3-c, 3-d and 3-e to read as follows:
   17    3-C. NO QUALIFIED INDIVIDUAL WITH A DISABILITY  SHALL,  BY  REASON  OF
   18  SUCH  DISABILITY,  BE  EXCLUDED  FROM  PARTICIPATION IN OR BE DENIED THE
   19  BENEFITS OF THE SERVICES, PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES OF A PUBLIC ENTITY,  OR
   20  BE SUBJECTED TO DISCRIMINATION BY ANY SUCH ENTITY.
   21    3-D.  IT  SHALL  BE  AN  UNLAWFUL DISCRIMINATORY PRACTICE FOR A PUBLIC
   22  ENTITY TO REFUSE TO MAKE REASONABLE MODIFICATIONS TO RULES, POLICIES  OR
   23  PRACTICES;  TO  REFUSE TO REMOVE ARCHITECTURAL, COMMUNICATION, OR TRANS-
   24  PORTATION BARRIERS; OR TO REFUSE TO PROVIDE AUXILIARY AIDS AND  SERVICES
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD00918-01-1
       S. 2407                             2
    1  TO  A  PERSON  WITH  A  DISABILITY  WHO  MEETS THE ESSENTIAL ELIGIBILITY
    2  REQUIREMENTS FOR SERVICES BY A PUBLIC ENTITY, UNLESS THE  PUBLIC  ENTITY
    3  CAN  DEMONSTRATE THAT TO DO SO WOULD POSE AN UNDUE HARDSHIP. THE FACTORS
    4  TO  BE CONSIDERED IN DETERMINING "UNDUE HARDSHIP" SHALL INCLUDE THE SIZE
    5  OF THE PUBLIC ENTITY, AND THE NATURE AND COST OF THE ACCOMMODATION NEED-
    6  ED.
    7    3-E. TO THE EXTENT THAT THE SERVICES, PROGRAMS, ACTIVITIES, OR  RULES,
    8  POLICIES  AND  PRACTICES OF THE NATIONAL RAILROAD PASSENGER CORPORATION,
    9  OR OTHER PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ENTITY WHICH IS OPERATED BY THE STATE,  A
   10  COUNTY,  CITY,  TOWN OR VILLAGE, OR ANY AGENCY THEREOF, OR BY ANY PUBLIC
   11  BENEFIT CORPORATION OR AUTHORITY, ARE COVERED BY SUBTITLE B TITLE II  OF
   12  THE  AMERICANS  WITH DISABILITIES ACT OF 1990, 42 USC 12141 ET SEQ., ANY
   13  AMENDMENTS THERETO, AND THE  REGULATIONS  PROMULGATED  THEREUNDER,  SUCH
   14  ENTITIES  SHALL  NOT  BE  SUBJECT  TO  THE  REQUIREMENTS OF SUBDIVISIONS
   15  THREE-C AND THREE-D OF THIS SECTION INCLUDING BUT  NOT  LIMITED  TO  THE
   16  REQUIREMENTS FOR THE REMOVAL OF ARCHITECTURAL, COMMUNICATIONS, OR TRANS-
   17  PORTATION BARRIERS UNDER SUBDIVISION THREE-D OF THIS SECTION.
   18    S 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred twentieth day after
   19  it shall have become a law.
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