Bill for closed-captioning for deaf moviegoers passes

From: Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN - May 14, 2004

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A plan by Sen. Mark Dayton, D-Minn., to make movie theaters more accessible to the nation's 28 million deaf and hard-of-hearing people passed the U.S. Senate this week.

As part of a larger corporate tax bill, Dayton's amendment will give a 50 percent tax credit to theaters and movie producers who provide captioning access to deaf patrons.

Samantha Ruhland, 14, and some of her classmates at the Metro Deaf school in St. Paul first approached Dayton about the issue. He introduced the legislation on May 5.

To mark the passage of the legislation, Dayton on Sunday will meet with 50 deaf Minnesotans, their families, and representatives from the Minnesota deaf community for a closed-captioned screening of "New York Minute" at the Block E theater in downtown Minneapolis.

Washington Bureau correspondent Emily Johns

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