Sponsored by:
Senator SHIRLEY K. TURNER
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senator Stanfield
SYNOPSIS
Provides televisions in State buildings shall display closed captioning for programming.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act providing that televisions in State buildings shall display closed captioning for programming and supplementing Title 52 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Every television that is located in any portion of a building owned or leased by the State for the use of any State agency that is available for viewing by members of the public or public employees shall continuously display closed captioning for all programming for which closed captioning is available.
As used in this section:
“Closed captioning” means the visual display of written words on a television screen of the audio portion of video programming; and
“State agency” means any of the principal departments in the Executive Branch of the State Government, and any division, board, bureau, office, commission or other instrumentality within or created by such department, and, to the extent consistent with law, any interstate agency to which New Jersey is a party and any independent State authority, commission, instrumentality, or agency.
The provisions of this section shall not apply to any television manufactured prior to the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) that cannot accommodate closed captioning.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
The purpose of this bill is to enable hearing-impaired persons to more easily understand television programs in State buildings. The bill provides that every television that is located in any portion of a building owned or leased by the State that is available for viewing by members of the public or public employees shall display closed captioning for all programming for which closed captioning is available. Under the bill, “closed captioning” is the visual display of written words on a television screen of the audio portion of video programming.
The bill will not apply to any television manufactured before the bill’s effective date that cannot accommodate closed captioning.