[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 20 Engrossed in Senate (ES)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. CON. RES. 20

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Whereas, July 26, 2015, marks the 25th anniversary of the date of enactment of 
        the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (referred to in this 
        preamble as the ``ADA'');
Whereas the ADA has been one of the most significant and effective civil rights 
        laws passed by Congress;
Whereas prior to the date of enactment of the ADA, individuals with disabilities 
        were too often denied the opportunity to fully participate in society 
        due to intolerance, misunderstanding, ignorance, or unfair stereotypes;
Whereas the dedicated efforts of passionate and courageous disability rights 
        advocates served to awaken Congress and the people of the United States 
        to the discrimination and prejudice that individuals with disabilities 
        face;
Whereas Congress worked in a bipartisan manner to craft legislation to make 
        discrimination against individuals with disabilities illegal;
Whereas Congress passed the ADA, and President George Herbert Walker Bush signed 
        the ADA into law on July 26, 1990;
Whereas the purpose of the ADA is to fulfill the goals of opportunity, 
        independent living, integration, and economic self-sufficiency for 
        individuals with disabilities who live in the United States;
Whereas the ADA--

    (1) prohibits employers from discriminating against qualified 
individuals with disabilities;

    (2) requires that State and local governmental entities accommodate 
qualified individuals with disabilities;

    (3) requires a place of public accommodation to take reasonable steps 
to ensure that the goods and services it provides are accessible to 
individuals with disabilities; and

    (4) requires new trains and buses to be accessible to individuals with 
disabilities;

Whereas the ADA has played a historic role in allowing more than 55,000,000 
        individuals in the United States who have disabilities to better 
        participate in society by removing barriers to employment, 
        transportation, public services, telecommunications, and public 
        accommodations;
Whereas the ADA has served as a model for disability rights in other countries;
Whereas every individual in the United States, not just those with disabilities, 
        benefits from the accommodations that have become commonplace since the 
        passage of the ADA, including curb cuts at street intersections, ramps 
        for access to buildings, and other accommodations that provide access to 
        public transportation, stadiums, telecommunications, voting machines, 
        and websites;
Whereas 25 years after the date of enactment of the ADA, it remains a crucial 
        tool, as children and adults with disabilities still experience barriers 
        that interfere with their full participation in mainstream life in the 
        United States;
Whereas 25 years after the date of enactment of the ADA, individuals in the 
        United States who have disabilities are twice as likely to live in 
        poverty than individuals without disabilities, and individuals with 
        disabilities continue to experience high rates of unemployment and 
        underemployment;
Whereas 25 years after the date of enactment of the ADA and 16 years after the 
        Supreme Court issued the decision in Olmstead v. L.C., many individuals 
        with disabilities still live and work in segregated and institutional 
        settings because of a lack of access to support services that would 
        allow such individuals to live and work in their community;
Whereas 25 years after the date of enactment of the ADA, the ADA remains a 
        crucial tool for individuals with disabilities who experience barriers 
        to accessability in telecommunications and information technologies; and
Whereas the United States has a responsibility to welcome back and create 
        opportunities for the tens of thousands of working-age veterans who have 
        been wounded in action or have suffered injuries or illnesses related to 
        their service in the Global War on Terror: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) recognizes and honors the 25th anniversary of the date 
        of enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990;
            (2) salutes everyone whose efforts contributed to the 
        enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990;
            (3) encourages everyone in the United States to celebrate 
        the advancement of freedom and the expansion of opportunity 
        made possible by the enactment of the Americans with 
        Disabilities Act of 1990; and
            (4) pledges to continue to work on a bipartisan basis to 
        support opportunity, independent living, economic self-
        sufficiency, and the full participation of individuals in the 
        United States who have disabilities.

            Passed the Senate July 28, 2015.

            Attest:

                                                             Secretary.
114th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                            S. CON. RES. 20

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Recognizing and honoring the 25th anniversary of the date of enactment 
            of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.