Congressman Eliot L. Engel, a top member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, today voted against H.R. 620, a bill that would undermine key aspects of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by removing incentives for businesses to comply with ADA accessibility requirements.
“For nearly 3 decades, the Americans with Disabilities Act has allowed 55 million Americans to access public spaces without fear of exclusion. Today, I voted against H.R. 620, a bill that will significantly undermine the ADA and the ability of Americans with disabilities to fully participate in society,” Engel said. “Under H.R. 620, restaurants, stores, doctors’ offices, movie theaters, and other places of public accommodation will no longer face immediate legal consequences for being inaccessible. Instead, H.R. 620 places the burden of reporting and educating businesses on our friends and neighbors with disabilities.
“What has come of our society, that those in power are actually seeking ways to exclude people, rather than include? Disability rights are civil rights, and I am vehemently opposed to any attempt to roll them back.”
