1.1 	A bill for an act
1.2 	relating to accessibility; modifying traffic and parking signs, restroom signs, and 
1.3 	digital media; removing the words "handicap" and "disability" from parking and 
1.4 	traffic signs and state digital media; requiring modification of symbol indicating 
1.5 	accessibility; amending Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 326B.106, subdivision 
1.6 	9.
1.7 	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

1.8 	Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 326B.106, subdivision 9, is amended to 
1.9 	read:
1.10 		Subd. 9.Accessibility. (a) Public buildings. The code must provide for making 
1.11 	public buildings constructed or remodeled after July 1, 1963, accessible to and usable by 
1.12 	persons with disabilities, although this does not require the remodeling of public buildings 
1.13 	solely to provide accessibility and usability to persons with disabilities when remodeling 
1.14 	would not otherwise be undertaken.
1.15 	(b) Leased space. No agency of the state may lease space for agency operations 
1.16 	in a non-state-owned building unless the building satisfies the requirements of the State 
1.17 	Building Code for accessibility by persons with disabilities, or is eligible to display the 
1.18 	state symbol of accessibility. This limitation applies to leases of 30 days or more for 
1.19 	space of at least 1,000 square feet.
1.20 	(c) Meetings or conferences. Meetings or conferences for the public or for state 
1.21 	employees which are sponsored in whole or in part by a state agency must be held in 
1.22 	buildings that meet the State Building Code requirements relating to accessibility for 
1.23 	persons with disabilities. This subdivision does not apply to any classes, seminars, 
1.24 	or training programs offered by the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities or the 
1.25 	University of Minnesota. Meetings or conferences intended for specific individuals 
2.1 	none of whom need the accessibility features for persons with disabilities specified in 
2.2 	the State Building Code need not comply with this subdivision unless a person with a 
2.3 	disability gives reasonable advance notice of an intent to attend the meeting or conference. 
2.4 	When sign language interpreters will be provided, meetings or conference sites must be 
2.5 	chosen which allow participants who are deaf or hard-of-hearing to see the sign language 
2.6 	interpreters clearly.
2.7 	(d) Exemptions. The commissioner may grant an exemption from the requirements 
2.8 	of paragraphs (b) and (c) in advance if an agency has demonstrated that reasonable efforts 
2.9 	were made to secure facilities which complied with those requirements and if the selected 
2.10 	facilities are the best available for access for persons with disabilities. Exemptions shall 
2.11 	be granted using criteria developed by the commissioner in consultation with the Council 
2.12 	on Disability.
2.13 	(e) Symbol indicating access.Except as provided in paragraph (f), the wheelchair 
2.14 	symbol adopted by Rehabilitation International's Eleventh World Congress is the state 
2.15 	symbol indicating buildings, facilities, and grounds which are accessible to and usable by 
2.16 	persons with disabilities. In the interests of uniformity, this symbol is the sole symbol for 
2.17 	display in or on all public or private buildings, facilities, and grounds which qualify for its 
2.18 	use. The secretary of state shall obtain the symbol and keep it on file. No building, facility, 
2.19 	or grounds may display the symbol unless it is in compliance with the rules adopted by 
2.20 	the commissioner under subdivision 1. Before any rules are proposed for adoption under 
2.21 	this paragraph, the commissioner shall consult with the Council on Disability. Rules 
2.22 	adopted under this paragraph must be enforced in the same way as other accessibility 
2.23 	rules of the State Building Code.
2.24 	(f) Women's wheelchair symbol. Any state-owned or state-licensed facility or 
2.25 	any facility receiving a monetary subsidy or grant from the state shall display on each 
2.26 	women's or unisex restroom that is accessible a modified version of the wheelchair symbol 
2.27 	described in paragraph (e), so that the modified sign depicts a woman wearing a dress. If 
2.28 	the facility displays a sign for a women's restroom, and the woman in the sign is depicted 
2.29 	wearing a dress, the woman depicted in the accessibility sign must be shown wearing a 
2.30 	similar dress. An entity that is subject to the requirements of this paragraph but does not 
2.31 	comply may not receive state aid during the period of noncompliance.

2.32 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective October 1, 2015.

2.33 	Sec. 2. ACCESSIBILITY PARKING SIGNS.
 2.34 	A sign that is posted to identify a parking space reserved for people who qualify for 
2.35 	accessible parking must not display any form of the word "handicap" or "disability." A state 
3.1 	or local unit of government, or a private entity that receives any monetary aid from the state 
3.2 	shall, no later than January 15, 2016, modify or replace the sign so that it displays a form of 
3.3 	the word "accessible" and does not display a form of the word "handicap" or "disability." 
3.4 	The commissioner of transportation shall establish and administer a program to provide 
3.5 	grants to sign owners who meet criteria identified by the commissioner to enable them 
3.6 	to pay for the required sign changes. An entity that is subject to the requirements of this 
3.7 	section but does not comply may not receive state aid during the period of noncompliance.

3.8 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.

3.9 	Sec. 3. REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO DIGITAL MEDIA.
 3.10 	The chief information officer shall require state agencies and private entities that 
3.11 	receive any monetary aid from the state, no later than September 30, 2015, to remove any 
3.12 	form of the word "handicap" or "disability" from digital media created or maintained by 
3.13 	state agencies or private entities and substitute a form of the word "accessibility." An 
3.14 	entity that is subject to the requirements of this section but does not comply may not 
3.15 	receive state aid during the period of noncompliance.

3.16 	EFFECTIVE DATE. This section is effective the day following final enactment.