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
________________________________________________________________________
4042--B
Cal. No. 1049
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 31, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sens. HARCKHAM, ADDABBO, ASHBY, HINCHEY, LIU, MARTINEZ,
MARTINS, MAY, RHOADS, ROLISON, SCARCELLA-SPANTON, WEBB, WEBER -- read
twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the
Committee on Disabilities -- recommitted to the Committee on Disabili-
ties in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged,
bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said
committee -- reported favorably from said committee and committed to
the Committee on Finance -- reported favorably from said committee,
ordered to first and second report, ordered to a third reading, passed
by Senate and delivered to the Assembly, recalled, vote reconsidered,
restored to third reading, amended and ordered reprinted, retaining
its place in the order of third reading
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.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08285-05-6
S. 4042--B 2
1 (c) "Disability" shall have the same meaning as provided for in subdi-
2 vision twenty-one of section two hundred ninety-two of the executive
3 law.
4 2. A person, private firm, organization, or corporation that owns or
5 manages a covered facility shall install and maintain at least one adult
6 changing accommodation for persons with a physical disability that is
7 accessible to individuals of any gender when the facility is open to the
8 public, and shall ensure that such bathroom shall be clearly designated
9 by the posting of such on or near the entry door of each bathroom, and,
10 if the facility has a central directory, shall ensure that the central
11 directory indicates the location of the adult changing accommodation,
12 provided that:
13 (a) Covered facilities newly constructed on or after January first,
14 two thousand twenty-seven shall comply with the provisions of this
15 section at the time of construction;
16 (b) Existing covered facilities renovated on or after January first,
17 two thousand twenty-seven, shall comply with the provisions of this
18 section at the time of renovation; and
19 (c) Any other existing covered facility shall comply with the
20 provisions of this section no later than January first, two thousand
21 thirty-six.
22 3. The commissioner of the office of general services, in collab-
23 oration with the chief disability officer, shall promulgate regulations
24 in order to effectuate the requirements of this section, including, but
25 not limited to, specifications regarding the dimensions of such adult
26 changing accommodations.
27 4. The commissioner of the office of general services may grant an
28 exemption from the requirements of this section if the commissioner
29 determines that:
30 (a) installation of an adult changing accommodation is not feasible;
31 (b) installation would result in noncompliance with the Americans with
32 Disabilities Act or any other applicable accessibility standards;
33 (c) the total cost of the construction or renovation project does not
34 exceed twenty thousand dollars; or
35 (d) installation would destroy the historic significance of a historic
36 property.
37 § 3. The public buildings law is amended by adding a new section 148
38 to read as follows:
39 § 148. Adult changing accommodations. 1. As used in this section:
40 (a) "state agency" means any state department, office, board, bureau,
41 commission, agency, or any public authority or public benefit
42 corporation at least one of whose members is appointed by the governor;
43 (b) "state-owned building" means any building owned by a state agency
44 used for official state business;
45 (c) "single-occupancy bathroom" means a bathroom intended for use by
46 no more than one occupant at a time or for family or assisted use and
47 which has a door for entry into and egress from the bathroom that may be
48 locked by the occupant to ensure privacy and security; and
49 (d) "adult changing accommodation" means a height-adjustable adult
50 changing table that is for use by persons with disabilities who need
51 help with diapering.
52 2. Each state agency shall ensure that all state-owned buildings
53 determined by the commissioner of the office of general services to be
54 regularly open to, or utilized by, the general public with a maximum of
55 occupancy of not less than two thousand five hundred shall have at least
56 one single-occupancy bathroom in such building with an adult changing
S. 4042--B 3
1 accommodation by January first, two thousand thirty-seven, provided,
2 however, that in such instances in which the fire code does not set a
3 maximum occupancy of a state-owned building, the commissioner of the
4 office of general services shall have the discretion to determine that
5 it is in the public interest to require that such state-owned building
6 shall be subject to the requirements of this section.
7 3. The commissioner of the office of general services, in collab-
8 oration with the chief disability officer, shall promulgate regulations
9 in order to effectuate the requirements of this section, including, but
10 not limited to, specifications regarding the dimensions of such adult
11 changing accommodations.
12 4. The commissioner of the office of general services may grant an
13 exemption from the requirements of this section if the commissioner
14 determines that:
15 (a) installation of an adult changing accommodation is not feasible;
16 (b) installation would result in noncompliance with the Americans with
17 Disabilities Act or any other applicable accessibility standards;
18 (c) the total cost of the construction or renovation project does not
19 exceed twenty thousand dollars;
20 (d) installation would destroy the historic significance of a historic
21 property; or
22 (e) the building or facility is not regularly open to, or utilized by,
23 the general public.
24 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately and shall apply to all
25 public works bids and contracts solicited on or after such effective
26 date; provided, however, this act shall not apply retroactively to
27 previously issued or existing public works contracts, with the state or
28 any municipal corporation, public benefit corporation, or public body.
