S-5208.1

SENATE BILL 6182

BySenators Padden, Becker, Stanford, Wilson, C., and Dhingra

AN ACT Relating to closed captioning on televisions in places of public accommodation; adding a new section to chapter 49.60 RCW; and prescribing penalties.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1. A new section is added to chapter 49.60 RCW to read as follows:

(1) Any person that owns or manages a place of public accommodation that offers a closed-captioned television receiver for use in any public area must activate closed captioning, unless:

(a) The only receiver of television programming available in a public area is technically incapable of displaying closed captioning; or

(b) The place of public accommodation is otherwise exempt from the closed captioning requirement under state or federal law.

(2) If after ninety days from the effective date of this section a person that owns or manages a place of public accommodation fails to comply with the requirements of this section, that person shall be subject to a civil fine of up to seventy-five dollars for each violation. Any subsequent violation shall result in a civil fine of up to one hundred fifty dollars.

(3) For purposes of this section the following definitions apply:

(a) "Closed-captioned television receiver" means a receiver of television programming that has the ability to display closed captioning, including but not limited to, a television, digital set top box, and other technology capable of displaying closed captioning for television programming.

(b) "Closed captioning" means a transcript or dialog of the audio portion of a television program that is displayed on either the bottom or top portion of a television receiver screen when the user activates the feature.

(c) "Public area" means any part of a place of public accommodation that is open to the general public.

(4) A violation of this section is a violation of this chapter.

--- END ---