Bill > A3477

Introduced Session

This bill would require that certain public restroom facilities have signs indicating that they are reserved for use by persons with disabilities. Far too often, people who do not need accessible public restroom facilities use them. Sometimes, this leads to an uncomfortable situation in which an individual with a disability who needs such a facility is forced to wait for it to become vacant. This bill seeks to prevent this situation from arising by requiring signage on a limited number of accessible public restroom facilities indicating that they are reserved for the exclusive use by persons with a disability. This bill would apply to places of employment and public accommodations that have a multiple-user public restroom with an accessible toilet compartment and at least one other toilet compartment, and those places that have an accessible single-user public restroom and at least two other single-user public restrooms. Under the bill, a construction permit application for a new building that contains an applicable restroom facility could not be approved unless it provides for the placement of signs as required by the bill. For existing buildings, a construction permit application for any alteration or improvement could not be approved unless compliance is demonstrated. Existing buildings may also be subject to inspections to determine compliance. If a violation is found, the building owner is given 30 days to correct the violation. If a violation still exists after this 30-day period expires, then the owner may be subject to a $150 civil penalty. An owner may be subject to a $300 civil penalty for a subsequent violation on the same property. The bill requires the Commissioner of Community Affairs, in consultation with the Commissioner of Human Services, to adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the provisions of the bill.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Carol Murphy (D)*,  Joe Danielsen (D), 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Aging and Human Services Committee (on 02/05/2024)

Official Document