Provides for adult changing tables to be placed within an enclosed restroom facility or other similar private facility that is for use by persons with disabilities who need help with diapering at commercial places of public amusement and state-owned buildings open to the public.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6219--B
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 27, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. BURDICK, LEVENBERG, SEAWRIGHT, SLATER, SHIMSKY,
BEEPHAN, BENEDETTO, SAYEGH, GONZALEZ-ROJAS, ROSENTHAL, REYES, NORBER,
P. CARROLL, CRUZ, KASSAY, BUTTENSCHON, SCHIAVONI, SANTABARBARA,
WEPRIN, PIROZZOLO, MANKTELOW, ZINERMAN, COOK, HEVESI, HYNDMAN --
Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. SIMON -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Governmental Operations -- reported and referred to the
Committee on Ways and Means -- recommitted to the Committee on Ways
and Means in accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee
discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
to said committee -- again reported from said committee with amend-
ments, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
AN ACT to amend the civil rights law and the public buildings law, in
relation to enacting the "traveling with dignity act"
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
2 the "traveling with dignity act".
3 § 2. The civil rights law is amended by adding a new section 79-r to
4 read as follows:
5 § 79-r. Adult changing accommodations. 1. As used in this section,
6 the following terms shall have the following meanings:
7 (a) "Adult changing accommodation" means a height-adjustable adult
8 changing table that is for use by persons with disabilities who need
9 help with diapering.
10 (b) "Covered facility" means a commercial place of public amusement,
11 including auditoriums, theatres, convention centers, exhibition halls,
12 permanent amusement parks, and sports arenas, for which the maximum
13 occupancy is determined to be two thousand five hundred or more people.
14 (c) "Disability" shall have the same meaning as provided for in subdi-
15 vision twenty-one of section two hundred ninety-two of the executive
16 law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08285-04-6
A. 6219--B 2
1 2. A person, private firm, organization, or corporation that owns or
2 manages a covered facility shall install and maintain at least one adult
3 changing accommodation for persons with a physical disability that is
4 accessible to individuals of any gender when the facility is open to the
5 public, and shall ensure that such bathroom shall be clearly designated
6 by the posting of such on or near the entry door of each bathroom, and,
7 if the facility has a central directory, shall ensure that the central
8 directory indicates the location of the adult changing accommodation,
9 provided that:
10 (a) Covered facilities newly constructed on or after January first,
11 two thousand twenty-seven shall comply with the provisions of this
12 section at the time of construction;
13 (b) Existing covered facilities renovated on or after January first,
14 two thousand twenty-seven, shall comply with the provisions of this
15 section at the time of renovation; and
16 (c) Any other existing covered facility shall comply with the
17 provisions of this section no later than January first, two thousand
18 thirty-six.
19 3. The commissioner of the office of general services, in collab-
20 oration with the chief disability officer, shall promulgate regulations
21 in order to effectuate the requirements of this section, including, but
22 not limited to, specifications regarding the dimensions of such adult
23 changing accommodations.
24 4. The commissioner of the office of general services may grant an
25 exemption from the requirements of this section if the commissioner
26 determines that:
27 (a) installation of an adult changing accommodation is not feasible;
28 (b) installation would result in noncompliance with the Americans with
29 Disabilities Act or any other applicable accessibility standards;
30 (c) the total cost of the construction or renovation project does not
31 exceed twenty thousand dollars; or
32 (d) installation would destroy the historic significance of a historic
33 property.
34 § 3. The public buildings law is amended by adding a new section 148
35 to read as follows:
36 § 148. Adult changing accommodations. 1. As used in this section:
37 (a) "state agency" means any state department, office, board, bureau,
38 commission, agency, or any public authority or public benefit
39 corporation at least one of whose members is appointed by the governor;
40 (b) "state-owned building" means any building owned by a state agency
41 used for official state business;
42 (c) "single-occupancy bathroom" means a bathroom intended for use by
43 no more than one occupant at a time or for family or assisted use and
44 which has a door for entry into and egress from the bathroom that may be
45 locked by the occupant to ensure privacy and security; and
46 (d) "adult changing accommodation" means a height-adjustable adult
47 changing table that is for use by persons with disabilities who need
48 help with diapering.
49 2. Each state agency shall ensure that all state-owned buildings
50 determined by the commissioner of the office of general services to be
51 regularly open to, or utilized by, the general public with a maximum of
52 occupancy of not less than two thousand five hundred shall have at least
53 one single-occupancy bathroom in such building with an adult changing
54 accommodation by January first, two thousand thirty-seven, provided,
55 however, that in such instances in which the fire code does not set a
56 maximum occupancy of a state-owned building, the commissioner of the
A. 6219--B 3
1 office of general services shall have the discretion to determine that
2 it is in the public interest to require that such state-owned building
3 shall be subject to the requirements of this section.
4 3. The commissioner of the office of general services, in collab-
5 oration with the chief disability officer, shall promulgate regulations
6 in order to effectuate the requirements of this section, including, but
7 not limited to, specifications regarding the dimensions of such adult
8 changing accommodations.
9 4. The commissioner of the office of general services may grant an
10 exemption from the requirements of this section if the commissioner
11 determines that:
12 (a) installation of an adult changing accommodation is not feasible;
13 (b) installation would result in noncompliance with the Americans with
14 Disabilities Act or any other applicable accessibility standards;
15 (c) the total cost of the construction or renovation project does not
16 exceed twenty thousand dollars;
17 (d) installation would destroy the historic significance of a historic
18 property; or
19 (e) the building or facility is not regularly open to, or utilized by,
20 the general public.
21 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to all
22 public works bids and contracts solicited on or after such effective
23 date; provided, however, this act shall not apply retroactively to
24 previously issued or existing public works contracts, with the state or
25 any municipal corporation, public benefit corporation, or public body.
