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Last Action

Ref To Com On Rules, Calendar, and Operations of the House2025-04-03

Vote Breakdown

No floor votes recorded.

Plain Language Summary

This bill requires movie theaters in North Carolina with more than 10 weekly showings to provide open captioning (on-screen text display of dialogue and sound descriptions) for at least one-fourth of showings for movies that play four or more times per week, with a maximum of four captioned showings required per movie per week. Theaters must advertise captioned showings and maintain compliance records, with violations subject to civil penalties of $100-$500.

Arguments in Favor

• •Supporters argue this bill improves accessibility for deaf and hard-of-hearing moviegoers, as well as those with auditory processing difficulties or in noisy environments, allowing them equal access to entertainment.
• •They contend that open captioning is a reasonable accommodation that benefits viewers without significantly burdening theater operations, since only a fraction of weekly showings are required to have captions and many movies are already captioned.

Arguments Against

• •Opponents raise concerns that open captioning requirements could reduce profits for smaller and mid-sized theaters already facing financial pressure, as captioning setup has technical costs and some moviegoers prefer uncaptioned showings.
• •They argue that existing closed captioning devices (headsets) serve deaf and hard-of-hearing patrons without requiring changes to all theatrical presentations, and question whether state mandates on private businesses are appropriate rather than voluntary industry standards.