The proposed bill aims to enact the Closed Captioning Act in West Virginia, mandating that public places with televisions must have at least half of those televisions equipped with activated closed captioning at all times. This requirement applies to various establishments, including health care facilities, restaurants, sports bars, entertainment venues, and educational institutions. The bill outlines that if multiple televisions are present, they should be arranged so that patrons can easily view at least one with closed captioning enabled. Additionally, it specifies that public accommodations must make reasonable efforts to prevent the deactivation of the closed captioning feature by users.

The bill also includes definitions for key terms such as "closed captioning," "closed-captioning television receiver," and "regular hours." It provides an exception to the closed captioning requirement if no television receivers are available in the public area or if the only available television does not support closed captioning. The legislation is set to take effect upon passage, emphasizing the importance of accessibility in public spaces for individuals who benefit from closed captioning services.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 5-11C-1