February 14, 2018

Ahead of House Vote, Duckworth Cautions Against Discriminatory “ADA Education and Reform Act”

Legislation would gut disability & civil rights protections

 

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Moments after the House Rules Committee moved to send the ADA Education and Reform Act (H.R. 620) to the House floor for consideration, U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) reminded her House colleagues of the threats to disability rights and civil rights posed by the legislation. H.R. 620, now scheduled for a final vote by the House on Thursday, would gut critical Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protections that help millions of Americans live independent lives.

“This offensive legislation would undermine civil rights in our nation and reward businesses that fail to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which has been the law of the land for nearly 30 years. Passing it would send a disgraceful message to Americans with disabilities: their civil rights are not worthy of strong enforcement and they can, once again, be treated like second class citizens,” said Senator Duckworth. “Remember, businesses have had almost 3 decades to make their facilities fully accessible for all. It’s astounding that they are instead investing their time and resources on a propaganda campaign to convince Congress to sanction discrimination.”

Duckworth also recently wrote an op-ed  for The Washington Post in opposition to H.R. 620, drawing on her own experiences to illustrate the challenges posed by businesses that do not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and elaborating on how this legislation would make Americans with disabilities second-class citizens again.