The efforts to roll back the rights of people with disabilities through ADA Notification bills like H.R. 620 are gaining momentum in Congress. While similar bills have been unable to garner enough support to pass into law, we do not expect that to be the case in the 115th. This bill continues to gain support from both sides of the aisle in Congress, and it’s on us to fight it!
H.R. 620 would create additional barriers to seeing our rights enforced under the Americans with Disabilities Act. In addition to requiring that businesses in violation of the ADA be provided with a very specific written notice by the person who encountered the access barrier, those businesses would then be allowed a lengthy timeframe to “make substantial progress in removing the barrier.” Not only would this remove any incentive for businesses to come into compliance with the ADA before receiving a notification, but it would also shift the onus of monitoring compliance to the very people being discriminated against! Twenty-seven years after the ADA was signed into law, this is unacceptable. H.R. 620 would be a major setback for people with disabilities.
We need you to take action! We hope you have already been in touch with your Representatives about the dangers of this bill. Please keep it up! Please tell your Representatives to OPPOSE H.R. 620 and any other bill that would weaken the ADA, thereby weakening the protections for people with disabilities all over the country.
Please call your Representatives today. Have everyone from your organization call. And then call them again tomorrow! You can get in touch with your Representatives by calling the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. You can find additional contact information for them by visiting www.contactingcongress.org.
Note: If your Representative is on the Judiciary Committee, it is especially important for you to contact them now! The list of Committee members is below.
Republicans:
- Bob Goodlatte, Chair (VA)
- Jim Sensenbrenner (WI)
- Lamar Smith (TX)
- Steve Chabot (OH)
- Darrell Issa (CA)
- Steve King (IA)
- Trent Franks (AZ)
- Louie Gohmert (TX)
- Jim Jordan (OH)
- Ted Poe (TX)
- Jason Chaffetz (UT)
- Tom Marino (PA)
- Trey Gowdy (SC)
- Raul Labrador (ID)
- Blake Farenthold (TX)
- Doug Collins (GA)
- Ron DeSantis (FL)
- Ken Buck (CO)
- John Ratcliffe (TX)
- Martha Roby (AL)
- Matt Gaetz (FL)
- Mike Johnson (LA)
- Andy Biggs (AZ)
Democrats:
- John Conyers, Ranking Member (MI)
- Jerry Nadler (NY)
- Zoe Lofgren (CA)
- Sheila Jackson Lee (TX)
- Steve Cohen (TN)
- Hank Johnson, Jr. (GA)
- Ted Deutch (FL)
- Luis Gutierrez (IL)
- Karen Bass (CA)
- Cedric Richmond (LA)
- Hakeem Jeffries (NY)
- David Cicilline (RI)
- Eric Swalwell (CA)
- Ted Lieu (CA)
- Jamie Raskin (MD)
- Pramila Jayapal (WA)
- Brad Schneider (IL)
The ADA must be protected.
Reframing and restraining these rights is NOT acceptable.
Access is the only the beginning of equality under the law.