Bill > HB435

This bill modifies existing Maryland law regarding open movie captioning in movie theaters, which is a feature that displays dialogue and other audio information directly on the main movie screen, unlike closed movie captioning that requires a separate device. Specifically, it reduces the requirement for movie theaters to provide open movie captioning from those with eight or more screens to those with four or more screens. For movies that are produced and available with open movie captioning, theaters with four or more screens will now be required to offer at least two screenings per week with this feature, and after the initial three weeks of a movie's premiere, they can offer it with reasonable notice. This change aims to increase accessibility for individuals with hearing impairments in movie theaters across the state.

Government Affairs

https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Legislation/Details/HB0435?ys=2026RS