H. B.2022

          (By Delegate Azinger)
          [Introduced February 13, 2013; referred to the
          Committee on the Judiciary.]


                         

A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new section, designated §16-6-14a, relating to the requirements for designated handicapped accessible rooms in motels and hotels; requiring tubs and showers in every hotel or motel room that has been designated or held out to be handicapped accessible to include grab bars on all walls of the tub or shower, consistent with applicable design standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
     That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §16-6-14a, to read as follows:
ARTICLE 6. HOTELS AND RESTAURANTS.
§16-6-14a. Washrooms; grab bars for tubs and showers of bathrooms in rooms that have been designated or set aside for use by handicapped or disabled patrons.
__________Any hotel and motel room in this state that is designated or held out to be handicapped accessible or intended for use by patrons with disabilities shall, at a minimum, include grab bars installed on each wall of the tub or shower which meet the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 design standards established by 28 CFR Part 36 (1991), or any successor regulation established by the Department of Justice or its successor.



          NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide for the maintenance of sufficient grab bars in hotel and motel rooms which have been set aside or designated to serve the needs of disabled patrons, to reduce the prospect of injury caused by falls in tubs and showers.
          
          §16-6-14a is new; therefore, it has been completely underscored.