House Bill Would Add Red Tape to Americans With Disabilities Act Protections

"The House judiciary committee has voted to move forward with a bill that could roll back some Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protections," reports Sara Luterman.

The ADA Education and Reform Act (HR 620), "would amend the ADA to add a 120 day waiting period between when a business is notified of an ADA violation and when the person reporting can take the case to court," reports Luterman. "During that 120 days, businesses would be expected to fix or 'make substantial progress' towards fixing a reported accessibility problem."

Bill author Representative Ted Poe (R-Tex) has said that the bill is designed to protect small business from predatory lawsuits. National Disability Rights Network Senior Policy Analyst Dara Baldwin of the has posted an online petition asserting that HR 620 "would create significant obstacles" for disabled people to enforce their rights "to access public accommodations, and would impede their ability to engage in daily activities and participate in the mainstream of society."

The bill has bipartisan support. "Now that it has gone through markup, the bill will go to the floor of the House of Representatives, where it will go to a vote," adds Luterman.