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Committee advances bill requiring movie theaters to provide open-caption screenings; small theaters get extra days to comply
Summary
The Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee voted to report out Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5,486, as amended to extend the response time for small theater operators and to name the measure the John Waldo Act.
The Civil Rights & Judiciary Committee on March 28 voted to report out Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5,486, as amended, a measure that requires motion picture captioning in theaters and adds the bill's citation name as the John Waldo Act.
The amendment adopted in committee, BR260, extends the deadline for theater companies with four or fewer locations to schedule an open-caption screening after a request from five days to eight days. The amendment was moved by Vice Chair Ferber and carried by the committee.
The committee discussion framed the amendment as a small-business accommodation. Vice Chair Ferber asked members to support the change, saying, "it is a simple amendment that focuses on some of the concerns raised by the, theater owners association" and that it "will give them a little bit more time to prepare and make those arrangements." Representative Burnett said members should support measures that "help small businesses" and indicated he would reserve further comment for final passage. In advocating for final passage, Vice Chair Ferber said the bill is important to ensure accountability and a consistent application of captioning across the state, adding that captions can benefit people beyond those with hearing impairments.
The committee recorded an 8-4 vote with one excused member to report the bill out of committee with a due-pass recommendation as amended. Individual roll-call votes recorded in the transcript were: Taylor (aye); Parivar (aye); Walsh (nay without recommendation); Abel (nay without recommendation); Burnett (aye); Entenmann (aye); Goodman (aye); Graham (nay without recommendation); Jacobson (nay, do not pass); Peterson (aye); Salahuddin (excused); Tai (aye); Wallen (aye). The staff announced the tally as "8 ayes, 4 nays, and 1 excused vote."
The measure now moves to the next steps in the legislative process; no further amendments were noted in the committee record. The transcript does not record any fiscal note discussion specific to SB 5,486 or the identities of any seconders for the motions beyond the recorded roll calls.
