SENATE RESOLUTION 661--RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF INDEPENDENT LIVING FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES MADE POSSIBLE BY THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT OF 1990 AND CALLING FOR FURTHER ACTION...; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 133
(Senate - July 28, 2020)
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[Page S4548]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 661--RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF INDEPENDENT LIVING
FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES MADE POSSIBLE BY THE AMERICANS WITH
DISABILITIES ACT OF 1990 AND CALLING FOR FURTHER ACTION TO STRENGTHEN
HOME AND COMMUNITY LIVING FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES
Mr. CASEY (for himself, Mr. Brown, Mr. Markey, Ms. Cantwell, Ms.
Baldwin, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Warren, Mrs. Murray, Mrs.
Feinstein, Mr. Reed, Mr. Booker, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Jones, Mr. Van
Hollen, Ms. Harris, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Coons, Ms. Hirono,
Mr. Merkley, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Leahy, Ms. Hassan, Ms.
Duckworth, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Sanders, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Murphy, Ms.
Smith, Mr. Carper, Mr. Manchin, and Mrs. Gillibrand) submitted the
following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 661
Whereas, in enacting the Americans with Disabilities Act of
1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.), Congress recognized that
``historically, society has tended to isolate and segregate
individuals with disabilities, and, despite some
improvements, such forms of discrimination against
individuals with disabilities continue to be a serious and
pervasive social problem'';
Whereas the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
recognized the rights of individuals with disabilities to
fully participate in their communities through independent
living, equality of opportunity, and economic self-
sufficiency;
Whereas, 30 years after the enactment of the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 and 21 years after the decision of
the Supreme Court of the United States in Olmstead v. L.C.,
527 U.S. 581 (1999), many individuals with disabilities
continue to live in segregated institutional settings because
of a lack of support services;
Whereas continued instances of segregated institutional
settings have hindered the inclusion of individuals with
disabilities in communities, schools, and workplaces,
undermining the promise of the Americans with Disabilities
Act of 1990;
Whereas people of color with disabilities experience
disproportionately greater barriers to service and access;
Whereas, 30 years after the enactment of the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990, some telecommunication, electronic,
and information technologies continue to be developed without
the goal of full accessibility and inclusion for all people
of the United States; and
Whereas, 30 years after the enactment of the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990, many businesses, public and private
organizations, transportation systems, and services are still
not accessible to all individuals with disabilities: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) recognizes the importance of independent living for
individuals with disabilities made possible by the enactment
of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C.
12101 et seq.);
(2) encourages all people of the United States to celebrate
the advancement of inclusion and equality of opportunity made
possible by the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities
Act of 1990;
(3) pledges to continue to work on a bipartisan basis to
identify and address the remaining barriers that undermine
the national goals of equality of opportunity, independent
living, economic self-sufficiency, and full participation for
individuals with disabilities, including by focusing on
individuals with disabilities that remain segregated in
institutions;
(4) pledges to work with States to improve access to home-
and community-based services for individuals with
disabilities; and
(5) calls on the Department of Health and Human Services to
provide information, resources, and technical assistance
regarding home- and community-based services and supports
that enable individuals with disabilities to live
independently.
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