[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 101 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. CON. RES. 101
Recognizing the need to improve physical access to many federally
funded facilities for all people of the United States, particularly
people with disabilities.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 22, 2024
Mrs. Hayes (for herself, Mr. Davis of North Carolina, Ms. Wild, Ms.
Norton, Mr. Tonko, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Grijalva, Mrs. Dingell, Ms. Lee of
California, Mr. Bowman, Mr. Swalwell, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Jackson
Lee, Ms. Dean of Pennsylvania, Mrs. Beatty, Ms. Titus, and Mr. Mullin)
submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the
Committees on the Judiciary, Transportation and Infrastructure, Energy
and Commerce, and Oversight and Accountability, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Recognizing the need to improve physical access to many federally
funded facilities for all people of the United States, particularly
people with disabilities.
Whereas the First Amendment to the Constitution prevents Congress from making
any law respecting an establishment of religion, prohibiting the free
exercise of religion, or abridging the freedom of speech, the freedom of
the press, the right to peaceably assemble, or to petition for a
governmental redress of grievances, and was adopted on December 15,
1791, as 1 of the 10 amendments that constitute the Bill of Rights;
Whereas the Bill of Rights, specifically the First Amendment to the
Constitution, calls for the right of all persons to peaceably assemble,
and to this end, all persons, regardless of their physical ability,
shall be offered equal opportunity to access all federally funded, in
whole or part, amenities;
Whereas, in the 33 years since the signing of the Americans with Disabilities
Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.) (in this preamble referred to as
the ``ADA''), there have been unprecedented advances in all forms of
technology, typified by automatic doors;
Whereas, in 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 1 in
4 adults, or 61,000,000 people, have a disability;
Whereas disability is a universal concern, as an aging population increases the
incidence of frailty and disability;
Whereas as significant advances in medical treatment result in increased
survival rates, the incidence of disability increases;
Whereas, in 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 5,400,000 veterans
received service-related disability benefits;
Whereas, in 2023, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the unemployment
rate of persons with a disability was twice that of nondisabled adults;
Whereas, in 2023, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that people of color have
the highest disability rates in the country;
Whereas the Act entitled ``An Act to insure that certain buildings financed with
Federal funds are so designed and constructed as to be accessible to the
physically handicapped'', approved August 12, 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4151 et
seq.) (commonly known as the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968), was
enacted to ensure that certain federally funded facilities are designed
and constructed to be accessible to people with disabilities;
Whereas the United States Access Board (in this preamble referred to as the
``Board'' recently issued a final rule addressing accessibility
guidelines for pedestrian facilities in the public right-of-way that
addresses various issues, including access for blind pedestrians at
street crossings, wheelchair access to on-street parking, and various
constraints posed by space limitations, roadway design practices, slope,
and terrain;
Whereas the Board's new guidelines cover pedestrian access to sidewalks and
streets, including crosswalks, curb ramps, street furnishings,
pedestrian signals, parking, and other components of public rights-of-
way;
Whereas the Board's aim in developing these guidelines is to ensure that access
for persons with disabilities is pro-vided wherever a pedestrian way is
newly built or altered, and that the same degree of convenience,
connection, and safety afforded the public generally is available to
pedestrians with disabilities;
Whereas once these guidelines are adopted by the Department of Justice, they
will become enforceable standards under title II of the ADA; and
Whereas the United States was founded on principles of equality and freedom, and
these principles require that all people, including people with
disabilities, are able to engage as equal members of society: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress--
(1) recognizes that people with disabilities in the United
States experience barriers to access on a daily basis;
(2) reaffirms its support of the Architectural Barriers Act
of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4151 et seq.) and the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.), and
encourages full compliance with such Acts; and
(3) pledges to make universal and inclusive design a
guiding principle for all infrastructure bills and projects and
will continue working to identify and remove the barriers that
prevent all people of the United States from having equal
access to the services provided by the Federal Government.
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