Bill Text: NY S02615 | 2009-2010 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Enacts the accessible electronic information act for blind and disabled persons; creates a new fund in the state finance law.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 7-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-05-14 - PRINT NUMBER 2615B [S02615 Detail]

Download: New_York-2009-S02615-Amended.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                        2615--B
                              2009-2010 Regular Sessions
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                   February 25, 2009
                                      ___________
       Introduced by Sens. PARKER, DILAN, FOLEY, KLEIN, KRUEGER, MAZIARZ, MONT-
         GOMERY,  SAVINO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to
         be committed to the Committee  on  Energy  and  Telecommunications  --
         recommitted  to  the  Committee  on  Energy  and Telecommunications in
         accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 -- reported favorably from  said
         committee  and  committed  to  the  Committee  on Finance -- committee
         discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
         to said committee  --  committee  discharged,  bill  amended,  ordered
         reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee
       AN  ACT  to  amend  the public service law and the state finance law, in
         relation to enacting the accessible electronic information 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 "accessible electronic information act".
    3    S 2. The public service law is amended by adding a new section 92-g to
    4  read as follows:
    5    S 92-G. ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONIC INFORMATION; BLIND AND DISABLED PERSONS.
    6  1. A QUALIFIED NOT-FOR-PROFIT ENTITY CAPABLE OF PROVIDING  SUCH  SERVICE
    7  SHALL  PROVIDE AN ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONIC INFORMATION SERVICE FOR ELIGIBLE
    8  BLIND AND DISABLED PERSONS. THIS SERVICE SHALL BE PLANNED FOR  CONTINUA-
    9  TION  FROM  YEAR TO YEAR AND MAKE MAXIMUM USE OF FEDERAL AND OTHER FUNDS
   10  AVAILABLE  BY  OBTAINING  GRANT  OR  IN-KIND  SUPPORT  FROM  APPROPRIATE
   11  PROGRAMS AND SECURING ACCESS TO LOW-COST INTERSTATE RATES FOR TELECOMMU-
   12  NICATIONS BY REIMBURSEMENT OR OTHERWISE.
   13    2. AS USED IN THIS SECTION, THE FOLLOWING TERMS SHALL HAVE THE FOLLOW-
   14  ING MEANINGS, UNLESS OTHERWISE INDICATED:
   15    (A)  "ACCESSIBLE  ELECTRONIC INFORMATION SERVICE" MEANS NEWS AND OTHER
   16  TIMELY INFORMATION (INCLUDING NEWSPAPERS) PROVIDED TO ELIGIBLE  INDIVID-
   17  UALS  FROM  A MULTI-STATE SERVICE CENTER, USING HIGH-SPEED COMPUTERS AND
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD00928-04-0
       S. 2615--B                          2
    1  TELECOMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY FOR INTERSTATE ACQUISITION OF CONTENT  AND
    2  RAPID DISTRIBUTION IN A FORM APPROPRIATE FOR USE BY SUCH INDIVIDUALS;
    3    (B)  "BLIND  AND  DISABLED  PERSONS"  MEANS  THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE
    4  ELIGIBLE FOR LIBRARY LOAN SERVICES THROUGH THE LIBRARY OF  CONGRESS  AND
    5  THE  STATE  LIBRARY FOR THE BLIND AND PHYSICALLY HANDICAPPED PURSUANT TO
    6  36 CFR 701.10(B);
    7    (C) "DIRECTOR" MEANS THE DIRECTOR OF THE SELECTED NOT-FOR-PROFIT ENTI-
    8  TY;
    9    (D) "QUALIFIED ENTITY" MEANS A NOT-FOR-PROFIT ENTITY WITHIN THIS STATE
   10  CAPABLE OF PROVIDING ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONIC INFORMATION SERVICES WHICH:
   11    (I) PROVIDES INTERSTATE ACCESS FOR  ELIGIBLE  PERSONS  TO  READ  DAILY
   12  NEWSPAPERS PRODUCING AUDIO EDITIONS BY COMPUTER, AND
   13    (II)  PROVIDES  A MEANS OF PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION AND READER REGISTRA-
   14  TION ON THE INTERNET.
   15    S 3. The state finance law is amended by adding a new section 99-r  to
   16  read as follows:
   17    S  99-R.  ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONIC INFORMATION SERVICE FUND.  1. THERE IS
   18  HEREBY ESTABLISHED IN THE CUSTODY OF THE  STATE  COMPTROLLER  A  SPECIAL
   19  REVENUE  FUND  TO  BE  KNOWN  AS  THE "ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONIC INFORMATION
   20  SERVICE FUND".
   21    2. NOTHING CONTAINED IN THIS SECTION  SHALL  PREVENT  THE  STATE  FROM
   22  RECEIVING  GRANTS, GIFTS OR BEQUESTS AND DEPOSITING THEM INTO THE ACCES-
   23  SIBLE ELECTRONIC INFORMATION SERVICE FUND ACCORDING TO LAW.
   24    3. THE ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONIC INFORMATION SERVICE FUND SHALL BE  ADMIN-
   25  ISTERED  BY  THE  PUBLIC  SERVICE  COMMISSION,  IN CONSULTATION WITH THE
   26  DIRECTOR, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THIS SECTION.
   27    4. THE TARGETED ACCESSIBILITY FUND, INC., ESTABLISHED  BY  THE  PUBLIC
   28  SERVICE  COMMISSION IN ITS "ORDER AND OPINION 98-10", MAY ALLOCATE FUNDS
   29  FOR THE PURPOSE OF  PROVIDING  ELECTRONIC  DISTRIBUTION  OF  NEWSPAPERS,
   30  PERIODICALS,  TIME  SENSITIVE MATERIALS, AND OTHER INFORMATION WHICH MAY
   31  BE OF BENEFIT TO THE COMMUNITY.
   32    S 4. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
   33  have  become  a  law; provided, however, that effective immediately, the
   34  addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule  or  regulation  necessary
   35  for  the  implementation of this act on its effective date is authorized
   36  and directed to be made and completed on or before such effective date.