SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL - Record No: CB 119487

• Record No: CB 119487
• Version: 3
• Council Bill No: CB 119487
• Type: Ordinance (Ord)
• Status: Passed
• Current Controlling Legislative Body: City Clerk
• On agenda: 4/15/2019
• Ordinance No: Ord 125805
• Title: AN ORDINANCE relating to public accommodations; requiring persons owning or managing a place of public accommodations to activate closed captioning on television receivers; and adding a new Chapter 14.05 to the Seattle Municipal Code.
• Sponsors: Lisa Herbold
• Supporting documents: 1. Summary and Fiscal Note, 2. Central Staff memo (3/21), 3. Central Staff Memo, Potential Amendments (4/9/19), 4. Central Staff Memo (Revised 4/9/19), 5. Central Staff Memo Att A (Revised 4/9/19), 6. Proposed Amendment (added; 4/16/19), 7. Signed Ordinance 125805, 8. Affidavit of Publication

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
4/19/2019	3	City Clerk	attested by City Clerk
4/19/2019	3	Mayor	returned
4/19/2019	3	Mayor	Signed
4/17/2019	3	City Clerk	submitted for Mayor's signature
4/15/2019	2	City Council	passed as amended	Pass
4/9/2019	1	Civil Rights, Utilities, Economic Development, and Arts Committee	pass as amended	Pass
3/26/2019	1	Civil Rights, Utilities, Economic Development, and Arts Committee	discussed
3/25/2019	1	City Council	referred
3/21/2019	1	Council President's Office	sent for review
3/19/2019	1	City Clerk	sent for review

CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
title
AN ORDINANCE relating to public accommodations; requiring persons owning or managing a place of public accommodations to activate closed captioning on television receivers; and adding a new Chapter 14.05 to the Seattle Municipal Code.
body
WHEREAS, the purpose of the Commission for People with disAbilities is to: (1) Promote equal opportunities for individuals with disabilities; (2) Strive to enable full participation in all aspects of community life for persons with disabilities; and (3) Provide disability-related technical assistance, information, referral and advocacy to City Council personnel, the community, individuals and groups; and
WHEREAS, The Commission for People with disAbilities is authorized to coordinate and
provide recommendations to City personnel, citizens commissions, authorities, and
committees; and community individuals and groups serving on annually designated
programs to respond to identified service needs; and
WHEREAS, The Commission for People with disAbilities agrees with the findings of the
City Council of Portland, Oregon in adopting Ordinance 187454 (which added Portland City Code Section 23.01.075), which requires activating closed captioning, where available, on televisions used in places of public accommodation, namely that:
"1. Hearing loss is a significant problem in the United States. A study released in 2011 by researchers at Johns Hopkins estimated that approximately one in five Americans have some type of hearing loss in one or both ears that affect their ability to communicate and receive information.1
2. In 1993, the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") adopted regulations requiring all analog television receivers manufactured and sold in the United States with screens larger than 13 inches contain built-in decoder circuitry to display closed captioning.
3. Closed captioning consists of a transcript of the audio porti...