IV 112th CONGRESS 1st Session H. CON. RES. 91 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES December 1, 2011 Mr. Murphy of Connecticut (for himself, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Courtney, and Mr. Himes) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on Education and the Workforce, the Judiciary, Energy and Commerce, and Transportation and Infrastructure, 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 United States postal facilities for all people in the United States in particular disabled citizens.

Whereas in 2009, 12 percent of all United States citizens reported some disability; Whereas in 2008, 16.9 percent of veterans, amounting to over 13,000,000 United States citizens, reported a service related disability to the Department of Veterans Affairs; Whereas according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey, the number of United States citizens reporting a disability is at a 20-year high; Whereas the Architectural Barriers Act, was first enacted in 1968 to ensure that certain federally funded facilities are designed and constructed to be accessible to people with disabilities and requires that public buildings, including post offices and other Federal facilities, have at least one handicap accessible path and entrance; Whereas automatic doors, though not mandated by either the Architectural Barriers Act or the Americans with Disabilities Act, provide a greater degree of self-sufficiency and dignity for disabled United States citizens, as well as the frail elderly who have limited strength to open a manual door; Whereas a report commissioned by the Access Board, an independent Federal agency created to ensure access to federally funded facilities, recommends that all new buildings used by the public should have at least one automated door at an accessible entrance, with an exception for small buildings where adding such a door may be a financial hardship for building owners; Whereas States and municipalities have begun to recognize the importance of automatic doors in approving accessibility as Connecticut State law requires automatic doors in certain shopping malls and retail businesses, Delaware requires an automatic door or calling device for newly constructed places of accommodation, and the District of Columbia has a similar requirement; Whereas the U.S. General Services Administration’s Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings Service requires automation of at least one exterior door for all newly constructed or renovated General Service Administration facilities, including post offices; Whereas over the past 5 years, 71 percent of complaints received by the Access Board regarding the Architectural Barriers Act have concerned a post office or other postal facility; Whereas the Postal Service employees 596,000 people, making it the Nation’s second-largest civilian employer; Whereas 7,000,000 people a day visit one of the over 36,400 post offices in the United States; and Whereas the United States was founded on principles of equality and freedom, and these laws ensure that all citizens, even those with disabilities, are able to engage as equal members of society: Now, therefore, be it

That Congress— (1)recognizes the immense hardships that disabled United States citizens must overcome everyday; (2)reaffirms its support of the Architectural Barriers Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act and full compliance of the laws; (3)recommends that the United States Postal Service and other public agencies install power-assisted doors to ensure equal access to all citizens; and (4)pledges to continue to work to identify and rectify the barriers that are preventing all United States citizens from having equal access to the services provided by the Federal Government.