S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2240
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 12, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Transportation
 
 AN ACT to amend the transportation law and  the  civil  rights  law,  in
   relation  to  allowing  therapy dogs to enter public places and public
   transportation

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. Section 147 of the transportation law, as amended by chap-
 ter 536 of the laws of 2014, is amended to read as follows:
   § 147. Dogs accompanying persons with a disability. 1. Subject to such
 rules and regulations as the commissioner may prescribe, all common  and
 contract  carriers  of  passengers by motor vehicle shall permit a guide
 dog, hearing dog or service dog as defined in section  forty-seven-b  of
 the civil rights law, OR A THERAPY DOG AS DEFINED IN SECTION FORTY-SEVEN
 OF  THE  CIVIL  RIGHTS  LAW, accompanying a person with a disability, as
 defined in subdivision twenty-one of section two hundred  ninety-two  of
 the  executive  law,  OR AN OWNER OR HANDLER OF SUCH DOGS OR SUCH PERSON
 LICENSED TO TRAIN SUCH DOGS, to accompany, to guide, or otherwise to aid
 such DISABLED person, to ride on all vehicles operated  for  transporta-
 tion and no charge shall be made for the transportation of such dog.
   2. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, "THERAPY DOG" SHALL MEAN ANY DOG THAT
 IS CERTIFIED AND TRAINED TO WORK OR PERFORM SPECIFIC TASKS FOR THE BENE-
 FIT  OF  PERSONS  INCLUDING  THOSE  WITH  SPECIAL  NEEDS,  AUTISM,  DRUG
 ADDICTION, DISTRESS DUE TO EMOTIONAL AND  PHYSICAL  ABUSE  AND  CLINICAL
 DEPRESSION  OR  BIPOLAR  DISEASE  BY  A  RECOGNIZED THERAPY DOG TRAINING
 CENTER OR PROFESSIONAL THERAPY DOG TRAINER AND IS ACTUALLY USED FOR SUCH
 PURPOSE.
   § 2. Subdivision 1 of section 47 of the civil rights law,  as  amended
 by chapter 404 of the laws of 1986, is amended to read as follows:
   1. (A) No person shall be denied admittance to and/or the equal use of
 and  enjoyment  of  any  public facility solely because said person is a
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD06099-01-7

 S. 2240                             2
 
 person with a disability and is accompanied by a guide dog, hearing  dog
 [or],  service  dog OR THERAPY DOG OR IS AN OWNER OR HANDLER OF SUCH DOG
 OR OTHERWISE A PERSON LICENSED TO TRAIN SUCH DOGS.
   (B)  FOR  PURPOSES  OF  THIS SECTION, "THERAPY DOG" SHALL MEAN ANY DOG
 THAT IS CERTIFIED AND TRAINED TO WORK OR PERFORM SPECIFIC TASKS FOR  THE
 BENEFIT  OF  PERSONS  INCLUDING  THOSE  WITH SPECIAL NEEDS, AUTISM, DRUG
 ADDICTION, DISTRESS DUE TO EMOTIONAL AND  PHYSICAL  ABUSE  AND  CLINICAL
 DEPRESSION  OR  BIPOLAR  DISEASE  BY  A  RECOGNIZED THERAPY DOG TRAINING
 CENTER OR PROFESSIONAL THERAPY DOG TRAINER AND IS ACTUALLY USED FOR SUCH
 PURPOSE.
   § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.