Requires hotels and motels to maintain a roster of guests, including their photo identifications, for five years and security footage for ninety days; restricts the use of hourly rates at hotels and motels; increases penalties therefor.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
10128
IN ASSEMBLY
February 2, 2026
___________
Introduced by M. of A. K. BROWN -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Economic Development
AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to requiring
hotels and motels to maintain a roster of guests, including their
photo identifications, for five years and security footage for ninety
days and restricting the use of hourly rates at hotels and motels
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Legislative intent. This Legislature hereby finds that the
2 unavailability or nonexistence of a roster of photo IDs of people occu-
3 pying a hotel or motel and security footage of hotels and motels poses a
4 threat to the safety and well-being of the citizens of this state in
5 such life-threatening circumstances as a fire, explosion or accident
6 occurring at such facilities, or in circumstances involving suspected
7 illegal activities, such as, but not limited to human trafficking. The
8 purpose of this act is to ensure that a roster of photo IDs of people
9 occupying a hotel or motel and security footage of hotels and motels
10 will be available for the use of rescue workers, emergency personnel,
11 law enforcement officials and firefighters during the course of an emer-
12 gency, or in circumstances in which illegal activity is suspected, such
13 as but not limited to human trafficking, by requiring such facilities to
14 maintain registers under penalty of law.
15 This Legislature also hereby finds that due to the activities associ-
16 ated with human trafficking and other illegal activities, hotels and
17 motels that offer hourly rates are attractive venues because of their
18 lower cost and fleeting nature. The purpose of this act is to ensure
19 that the state is completely bereft of hotels and motels that serve as
20 attractive venues for crimes, such as but not limited to human traffick-
21 ing, by restricting hotels and motels hourly rate options and providing
22 certain exemptions with conditions, and mandating compliance with
23 prevention training.
24 § 2. Section 204 of the general business law, as amended by chapter
25 737 of the laws of 1961, is amended to read as follows:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14159-02-6
A. 10128 2
1 § 204. Register and security footage to be kept. 1. The owner, lessee,
2 proprietor or manager of any hotel, motel, tourist cabins, camp, resort,
3 tavern, inn, boarding or lodging house shall keep for a period of
4 [three] five years a register which shall show the name, residence, date
5 of arrival and departure of [his] their guests which shall include a
6 copy of the photo identification presented by their guests. Such
7 records [may] shall be kept within the meaning of this section [when
8 reproduced on any photographic, photostatic, microfilm, micro-card,
9 miniature photographic or other process], both digitally and in the
10 manner which actually reproduced the original [record] records. Such
11 records shall be made available for inspection on demand upon lawful
12 order by any authorized rescue worker, law enforcement official, emer-
13 gency personnel, firefighter or a municipal employee authorized to
14 enforce a local ordinance or law.
15 2. The owner, lessee, proprietor or manager of any hotel, motel, tour-
16 ist cabins, camp, resort, tavern, inn, boarding or lodging house shall
17 keep for a period of ninety days any security footage recorded at such
18 hotel, motel, tourist cabins, camp, resort, tavern, inn, boarding or
19 lodging house.
20 3. For the first violation of this section, the offender shall be
21 subject to a civil penalty of not less than five hundred dollars and not
22 more than one thousand dollars and shall be given a formal warning that
23 any subsequent violations may result in the state and any municipality
24 or political subdivision thereof suspending any contracts with the
25 hotel, motel, tourist cabins, camp, resort, tavern, inn, boarding or
26 lodging house found to be in violation. For the second violation of this
27 section, the offender shall be subject to a penalty of not less than one
28 thousand dollars and not more than two thousand dollars and the state
29 and any municipality or political subdivision thereof may suspend any
30 contracts with the hotel, motel, tourist cabins, camp, resort, tavern,
31 inn, boarding or lodging house found to be in violation. For the third
32 and any subsequent violation of this section in less than five years,
33 the offender shall be subject to a penalty of not less than three thou-
34 sand dollars and not more than ten thousand dollars and the state and
35 any municipality or political subdivision thereof may suspend any
36 contracts with the hotel, motel, tourist cabins, camp, resort, tavern,
37 inn, boarding or lodging house found to be in violation.
38 § 3. The general business law is amended by adding a new section 209-h
39 to read as follows:
40 § 209-h. Hourly rates restricted. 1. The owner, lessee, proprietor or
41 manager of any hotel, motel, tourist cabins, camp, resort, tavern, inn,
42 boarding or lodging house shall not offer rate options of less than six
43 hours in duration for rooms with sleeping accommodations.
44 2. For a first violation of this section, the offender shall be
45 subject to a civil penalty of not less than five hundred dollars and not
46 more than one thousand dollars and shall be given a formal warning that
47 any subsequent violations may result in the state and any municipality
48 or political subdivision thereof suspending any contracts with the
49 hotel, motel, tourist cabins, camp, resort, tavern, inn, boarding or
50 lodging house found to be in violation. For the second violation of this
51 section, the offender shall be subject to a penalty of not less than one
52 thousand dollars and not more than two thousand dollars and the state
53 and any municipality or political subdivision thereof may suspend any
54 contracts with the hotel, motel, tourist cabins, camp, resort, tavern,
55 inn, boarding or lodging house found to be in violation. For the third
56 and any subsequent violation of this section in less than five years,
A. 10128 3
1 the offender shall be subject to a penalty of not less than three thou-
2 sand dollars and not more than ten thousand dollars and the state and
3 any municipality or political subdivision thereof may suspend any
4 contracts with the hotel, motel, tourist cabins, camp, resort, tavern,
5 inn, boarding or lodging house found to be in violation.
6 § 4. Subdivision 2 of section 205 of the general business law, as
7 added by chapter 393 of the laws of 2022, is amended to read as follows:
8 2. Record keeping requirements of human trafficking recognition train-
9 ing. Every keeper of each lodging facility shall maintain records indi-
10 cating that each employee required to undergo an established or approved
11 human trafficking recognition training program pursuant to this section
12 has completed such training. Such records shall be submitted to the
13 division of criminal justice services, in a form and manner as deter-
14 mined by such division, on or before the first of January, first of
15 April, first of July, and first of October for the succeeding three
16 months. Such records shall be kept on file by the lodging facility for
17 the period during which the employee is employed by the lodging facility
18 and for one year after such employment ends.
19 § 5. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
20 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
21 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
22 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and
23 completed on or before such effective date.
