Bill Text: NY S04042 | 2025-2026 | General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: 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.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-31 - REFERRED TO DISABILITIES [S04042 Detail]

Download: New_York-2025-S04042-Introduced.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          4042

                               2025-2026 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 31, 2025
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sens.  HARCKHAM,  ASHBY, HINCHEY, LIU, MARTINS, ROLISON,
          WEBB, WEBER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to  be
          committed to the Committee on Disabilities

        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.
    17    2. All single-occupancy bathrooms located in covered facilities  shall
    18  install  and  maintain  at  least  one  adult changing accommodation for
    19  persons with a physical disability that is accessible to individuals  of
    20  any  gender  when  the  facility is open to the public, and shall ensure
    21  that such bathroom shall be clearly designated by the posting of such on
    22  or near the entry door of each bathroom, and,  if  the  facility  has  a
    23  central directory, shall ensure that the central directory indicates the
    24  location of the adult changing accommodation, provided that:

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD08285-01-5
        S. 4042                             2

     1    (a)  Covered  facilities  newly constructed on or after January first,
     2  two thousand twenty-six shall comply with the provisions of this section
     3  at the time of construction;
     4    (b)  Existing  covered facilities renovated on or after January first,
     5  two thousand twenty-six,  shall  comply  with  the  provisions  of  this
     6  section at the time of renovation; and
     7    (c)  Any  other  existing  covered  facility  shall  comply  with  the
     8  provisions of this section no later than  January  first,  two  thousand
     9  thirty-three.
    10    3.  The  commissioner  of  the  office of general services, in collab-
    11  oration with the chief disability officer, shall promulgate  regulations
    12  in  order to effectuate the requirements of this section, including, but
    13  not limited to, specifications regarding the dimensions  of  such  adult
    14  changing accommodations.
    15    §  3.  The public buildings law is amended by adding a new section 148
    16  to read as follows:
    17    § 148. Adult changing accommodations. 1. As used in this section:
    18    (a) "state agency" means any state department, office, board,  bureau,
    19  commission,    agency,   or   any  public  authority  or  public benefit
    20  corporation at least one of whose members is appointed by the governor;
    21    (b) "state-owned building" means any building owned by a state  agency
    22  used for official state business;
    23    (c)  "single-occupancy  bathroom" means a bathroom intended for use by
    24  no more  than one occupant at a time or for family or assisted  use  and
    25  which has a door for entry into and egress from the bathroom that may be
    26  locked by the occupant to ensure privacy and security; and
    27    (d)  "adult  changing  accommodation"  means a height-adjustable adult
    28  changing table that is for use by persons  with  disabilities  who  need
    29  help with diapering.
    30    2.  Each  state  agency  shall  ensure  that all state-owned buildings
    31  determined by the commissioner of the office of general services  to  be
    32  open  to the public shall have at least one single-occupancy bathroom in
    33  such building with an adult changing accommodation by January first, two
    34  thousand twenty-nine.
    35    3. The commissioner of the office  of  general  services,  in  collab-
    36  oration  with the chief disability officer, shall promulgate regulations
    37  in order to effectuate the requirements of this section, including,  but
    38  not  limited  to,  specifications regarding the dimensions of such adult
    39  changing accommodations.
    40    § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.