Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts Senate Bill S101 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1636 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
3	3	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 101
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Michael J. Barrett
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act to require closed captioning in telecommunications in public areas.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Michael J. BarrettThird MiddlesexJoanne M. ComerfordHampshire, Franklin and Worcester2/19/2025Patricia D. JehlenSecond Middlesex2/19/2025James B. EldridgeMiddlesex and Worcester3/3/2025 1 of 2
16	16	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1636 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
17	17	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 101
18	18	By Mr. Barrett, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 101) of Michael J. Barrett, Joanne
19	19	M. Comerford, Patricia D. Jehlen and James B. Eldridge for legislation to require closed
20	20	captioning in telecommunications in public areas. Children, Families and Persons with
21	21	Disabilities.
22	22	[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
23	23	SEE SENATE, NO. 63 OF 2023-2024.]
24	24	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
25	25	_______________
26	26	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
27	27	(2025-2026)
28	28	_______________
29	29	An Act to require closed captioning in telecommunications in public areas.
30	30	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
31	31	of the same, as follows:
32	32	1 Chapter 25C of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 9 the
33	33	2following section:-
34	34	3 Section 10.
35	35	4 (a) As used in this chapter, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires
36	36	5otherwise, have the following meaning:
37	37	6 "Closed captioning", a transcript or dialog of the audio portion of a television program
38	38	7that is displayed on a television receiver screen when a user activates the feature. 2 of 2
39	39	8 "Closed-captioning television receiver", a receiver of television programming that has the
40	40	9capacity to display closed captioning, including but not limited to, a television, digital set top box
41	41	10or other technology.
42	42	11 "Public area", a part of a place of public accommodation that is open to the general
43	43	12public.
44	44	13 "Regular hours", the hours of any day in which a place of public accommodation is open
45	45	14to members of the general public.
46	46	15 (b) Upon request, a place of public accommodation shall not fail to keep closed
47	47	16captioning activated on any closed-captioning television receiver that is in use during regular
48	48	17hours in any public area.
49	49	18 (c) Notwithstanding the above, a place of public accommodation shall not be required to
50	50	19make closed captioning available in a public area of said place if: (1) no television receiver of
51	51	20any kind is available in the public area; or (2) the only public television receiver available in the
52	52	21public area is not a closed-captioning television receiver.
53	53	22 (d) Violations of subsection (b) shall constitute discrimination as defined in section 98 of
54	54	23chapter 272. The authority of the Massachusetts Commission on Discrimination shall extend to
55	55	24matters involving alleged or actual violations of this subsection.