[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4766 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4766

 To strengthen requirements for the use of accessible information and 
     communications technology by Federal departments and agencies.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 24, 2024

 Mr. Casey (for himself, Mr. Fetterman, Mr. Wyden, and Ms. Duckworth) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
          Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To strengthen requirements for the use of accessible information and 
     communications technology by Federal departments and agencies.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Section 508 Refresh Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Access board.--The term ``Access Board'' means the 
        Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board 
        established under section 502(a)(1) of the Rehabilitation Act 
        of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 792(a)(1)).
            (2) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the General Services Administration.
            (3) Disability.--The term ``disability'' has the meaning 
        given that term in section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities 
        Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12102).
            (4) Federal department or agency.--The term ``Federal 
        department or agency'' has the meaning given the term agency in 
        section 3502 of title 44, United States Code, except that such 
        term shall also include agency components.
            (5) Information and communications technology.--The term 
        ``information and communications technology'' means all 
        information technology and all other equipment, systems, 
        technologies, or processes, for which the principal function is 
        the creation, manipulation, storage, display, receipt, or 
        transmission of electronic data and information, as well as any 
        associated content, such as computers and peripheral equipment, 
        information kiosks and transaction machines, telecommunications 
        equipment, customer premises equipment, multifunction office 
        machines, software, applications, websites, videos, and 
        electronic documents.
            (6) Section 508.--The term ``section 508'' means section 
        508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d).

SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO DEFINITIONS AND TERMS USED IN SECTION 508 OF THE 
              REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973.

    (a) Amendments.--Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 
U.S.C. 794d) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``electronic and information technology'' 
        and inserting ``information and communications technology'' 
        each place the term appears;
            (2) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1), by 
                striking electronic and information technology in the 
                subparagraph heading and inserting ``information and 
                communications technology'';
                    (B) by striking subparagraph (A) of paragraph (2) 
                and inserting the following:
                    ``(A) The Architectural and Transportation Barriers 
                Compliance Board (referred to in this section as the 
                `Access Board') shall maintain published technical and 
                functional performance criteria necessary to implement 
                the requirements set forth in paragraph (1).''; and
                    (C) in paragraph (3)--
                            (i) by striking ``Not later than 6 months 
                        after the Access Board publishes the standards 
                        required under paragraph (2), the Federal 
                        Acquisition Regulatory Council shall revise the 
                        Federal Acquisition Regulation and each Federal 
                        department or agency shall revise the Federal 
                        procurement policies and directives under the 
                        control of the department or agency to 
                        incorporate those standards.''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``Council'' and inserting 
                        ``Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(j) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Federal department and agency.--The term `Federal 
        department and agency' has the meaning given the term `agency' 
        in section 3502 of title 44, United States Code.
            ``(2) Information and communications technology.--The term 
        `information and communications technology' means all 
        information technology and all other equipment, systems, 
        technologies, or processes, for which the principal function is 
        the creation, manipulation, storage, display, receipt, or 
        transmission of electronic data and information, as well as any 
        associated content, such as--
                    ``(A) computers and peripheral equipment;
                    ``(B) information kiosks and transaction machines;
                    ``(C) telecommunications equipment;
                    ``(D) customer premises equipment;
                    ``(E) multifunction office machines;
                    ``(F) software;
                    ``(G) applications;
                    ``(H) websites;
                    ``(I) videos; and
                    ``(J) electronic documents.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) The item relating to section 508 in the table of 
        contents of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 701 et 
        seq.) is amended by striking ``Electronic and information 
        technology'' and inserting ``Information and communications 
        technology''.
            (2) Section 204 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 
        U.S.C. 764) is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (b)(2)(C)(i), by striking 
                ``electronic and information technology'' and inserting 
                ``information and communications technology''.
                    (B) in subsection (b)(2)(D), by striking 
                ``electronic and information technology'' and inserting 
                ``information and communications technology''.
            (3) Section 502 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 
        U.S.C. 792) is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (b)(3)(D), by striking 
                ``electronic and information technology'' and inserting 
                ``information and communications technology''.
                    (B) in subsection (d), by striking ``electronic and 
                information technology'' and inserting ``information 
                and communications technology''.

SEC. 4. INVOLVEMENT OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES.

    (a) Amendment to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.--Section 508 of 
the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d) is amended by inserting 
after subsection (g) the following:
    ``(h) Involvement of People With Disabilities.--In carrying out 
this section, Federal departments and agencies shall routinely involve 
people with disabilities. That involvement shall take the form of 
soliciting feedback and participation from Federal employees and 
members of the public with disabilities in each of the following:
            ``(1) The development of mechanisms or processes to enforce 
        this section within a department or agency.
            ``(2) The acquisition or development of information and 
        communications technology in a manner that incorporates 
        accessibility for people with disabilities from the beginning 
        to the end of the acquisition or development process.
            ``(3) Testing information and communications technology for 
        compliance with this section.
            ``(4) Remediating information and communications technology 
        that is not in compliance with this section.
            ``(5) The complaints process under this section, including 
        the effectiveness and timeliness of the complaints process 
        under this section.''.
    (b) Guidance for Departments and Agencies.--Not later than 1 year 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Access Board, in 
consultation with the Administrator, the Director of the Office of 
Management and Budget, and the Director of the Office of Federal 
Contract Compliance Programs shall establish guidelines for departments 
and agencies to routinely involve people with disabilities in 
accordance with subsection (h) of section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act 
of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d), as amended by subsection (a).

SEC. 5. AUTHORITY OF THE ACCESS BOARD TO ENSURE COMPLIANCE WITH SECTION 
              508.

    Section 502(b)(1) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 
792(b)(1)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``ensure compliance with the standards 
        prescribed pursuant to the Act'' and inserting ``ensure 
        compliance with--''
                    ``(A) the standards prescribed pursuant to the 
                Act'';
            (2) by inserting ``and'' after the semicolon at the end of 
        subparagraph (A); and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) the standards prescribed pursuant to section 
                508;''.

SEC. 6. UNIFORM COMPLAINT PROCESS; INCORPORATION OF PEOPLE WITH 
              DISABILITIES IN ENFORCEMENT.

    (a) Establishment of Access Board Complaint Process.--
            (1) In general.--In accordance with the authority of the 
        Access Board under section 502(b)(1) of the Rehabilitation Act 
        of 1973 (as amended by section 5), not later than 1 year after 
        the date of enactment of this Act, the Access Board, in 
        consultation with the Administrator and the Director of the 
        Office of Management and Budget, shall establish a uniform 
        complaint process for any individual to file a complaint with 
        the Access Board alleging that a Federal department or agency 
        fails to comply with subsection (a)(2) of section 508 of that 
        Act and for actions to resolve such complaints.
            (2) Timeframe.--The Access Board shall promulgate 
        regulations to establish the timeframe by which complaints 
        shall be processed or adjudicated under such uniform complaint 
        process.
            (3) Transition of complaints process.--The Access Board 
        shall establish procedures to ensure the smooth transition of 
        the complaints process under section 508 before the date of the 
        uniform complaint process described in paragraph (1) (referred 
        to in this paragraph as the ``previous complaints process'') 
        and the uniform complaints process established under paragraph 
        (1) (referred to in this paragraph as the ``new complaints 
        process''), which shall include ensuring that section 508 
        complaints that were initiated before the new complaints 
        process either--
                    (A) be adjudicated under the previous complaints 
                process not later than 6 months after the new 
                complaints process is established; or
                    (B) if such complaints are not adjudicated in 
                accordance with subparagraph (A), such complaints shall 
                be transferred to the Access Board for consideration 
                under the new complaints process.
    (b) Enforcement Regarding Information and Communications 
Technology.--Section 508(f) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 
U.S.C. 794d(f)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(f) Enforcement.--
            ``(1) In general.--Beginning on the date that the process 
        described in section 6(a) of the Section 508 Refresh Act of 
        2024 has been established, any individual may file a complaint 
        with the Access Board alleging that a Federal department or 
        agency fails to comply with standards described in subsection 
        (a)(2), in accordance with the authority of the Access Board 
        under section 502(b)(1).
            ``(2) Civil actions.--The remedies, procedures, and rights 
        set forth in sections 505(a)(2) and 505(b) shall be the 
        remedies, procedures, and rights available to any individual 
        with a disability filing a complaint under paragraph (1).''.
    (c) Feedback.--In developing the complaint process and carrying out 
the activities under subsection (f) of section 508 of such Act, as 
amended by subsection (b), the Access Board shall solicit and 
incorporate feedback from people with disabilities, including--
            (1) members of the public with disabilities;
            (2) Federal employees with disabilities; and
            (3) people with disabilities who have previously filed 
        complaints under such section.

SEC. 7. PROCUREMENT PROCESS FOR INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS 
              TECHNOLOGY.

    (a) Establishment of Testing and Reporting Process.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in collaboration 
        with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the 
        Director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, 
        and the Access Board, shall establish a uniform process for 
        testing and reporting any information and communications 
        technology acquired by a Federal department or agency for 
        compliance with the requirements of section 508.
            (2) Elements.--The uniform process established under 
        paragraph (1) shall include the following:
                    (A) A requirement that any contract between a 
                Federal department or agency and a vendor of 
                information and communications technology adopts 
                standard accessibility language, appropriate for the 
                type of information and communications technology being 
                acquired, that shall be determined by the 
                Administrator, in consultation with the Director of the 
                Office of Management and Budget, the Director of the 
                Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, and the 
                Access Board.
                    (B) A requirement that the Federal department or 
                agency test any information and communications 
                technology for compliance with the requirements of 
                section 508 prior to the acquisition of such 
                technology, including timelines for such testing.
                    (C) A requirement that the Federal department or 
                agency shall not acquire or deploy information and 
                communications technology that is not compliant with 
                section 508.
                    (D) In the case of an information and 
                communications technology that fails to meet the 
                requirements of section 508, the following 
                accountability measures:
                            (i) Not later than 30 days after 
                        discovering the noncompliance, the Federal 
                        department or agency shall notify the vendor of 
                        the noncompliance and the basis for the 
                        noncompliance.
                            (ii) Following notification, the vendor 
                        shall be subject to a mandatory civil penalty, 
                        the value of which shall be--
                                    (I) established by the 
                                Administrator, in consultation with the 
                                Director of the Office of Management 
                                and Budget, the Director of the Office 
                                of Federal Compliance Programs, and the 
                                Access Board; and
                                    (II) not less than 3 percent of the 
                                value of the contract.
                            (iii) The vendor shall, at the expense of 
                        the vendor, have 6 months from the date of 
                        notification to modify the technology to bring 
                        it into compliance with the requirements of 
                        section 508.
                            (iv) If the vendor fails to bring the 
                        technology into compliance by the deadline 
                        established under clause (iii) and the 
                        requirements of section 508 were included in 
                        the contract for the information and 
                        communications technology--
                                    (I) the Federal department or 
                                agency shall--
                                            (aa) terminate the contract 
                                        for cause; and
                                            (bb) seek reimbursement for 
                                        the full value of the contract 
                                        (in addition to the mandatory 
                                        civil penalty assessed under 
                                        subparagraph (D)(ii).
            (3) Technical assistance.--
                    (A) In general.--The Administrator shall provide to 
                Federal departments and agencies technical assistance 
                for compliance with the uniform process for testing and 
                reporting established under paragraph (1).
                    (B) Website.--The technical assistance required 
                under subparagraph (A) shall include the maintenance of 
                a website that is accessible to the heads of Federal 
                departments and agencies and that contains information 
                and tools for compliance with the uniform process 
                established under paragraph (1).
    (b) Good Samaritan Bonus Program.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in collaboration 
        with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, the 
        Director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, 
        and the Access Board, shall establish a process for providing 
        to each vendor that identifies one or more requirement of 
        section 508 that is missing from the contract between the 
        vendor and the Federal department or agency for information and 
        communications technology a bonus of not more than 3 percent of 
        the value of the contract.
            (2) Eligibility.--A vendor is eligible for the bonus under 
        paragraph (1) if--
                    (A) the vendor properly notified the Federal 
                department or agency about the missing requirement and 
                provides documentation of such notification;
                    (B) the vendor provides documentation showing 
                that--
                            (i) the missing requirement was added to 
                        the contract for the information and 
                        communications technology; or
                            (ii) the Federal department or agency 
                        declined to add the requirement; and
                    (C) the vendor delivered to the Federal department 
                or agency information and communications technology 
                that complies with every requirement of section 508.
            (3) Department or agency requirements.--In the case of a 
        Federal department or agency that declines to add a 
        requirement, as described in paragraph (2)(B)(ii), that Federal 
        department or agency shall report the decision to decline, and 
        the justification for doing so, to the Administrator and the 
        Access Board.
    (c) Streamlining Verification of Information and Communications 
Technology Provided to Departments and Agencies.--
            (1) Conformity assessments.--Not later than 1 year after 
        the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the 
        Office of Management and Budget, in coordination with the 
        Administrator, shall establish a program to enable vendors of 
        information and communications technology to review an 
        assessment of whether their products and services conform to 
        the standards promulgated pursuant to section 508(a)(2) of the 
        Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d(a)(2)) and verify 
        the assessment or state that the assessment cannot be verified.
            (2) List on public website.--The Administrator shall ensure 
        that the products and services of vendors of information and 
        communications technology that meet the criteria of the program 
        are categorized and listed on a centralized public website.
            (3) Program development.--In developing the program 
        required under paragraph (1), the Director of the Office of 
        Management and Budget and the Administrator shall consult 
        regularly with Federal departments and agencies, as well as 
        representatives from the accessibility community and the 
        information and communications technology industry.
            (4) Guidance.--The Director of the Office of Management and 
        Budget, in consultation with the Administrator, may issue 
        guidance to Federal departments and agencies, as necessary, to 
        implement this subsection.
    (d) FedRAMP Authorization and Section 508.--Beginning on the date 
that is 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Federal 
Risk and Authorization Management Program shall only authorize products 
and services that are verified pursuant to subsection (c) to be fully 
compliant with section 508.

SEC. 8. AGENCY ACCOUNTABILITY.

    (a) Guidelines Relating to Compliance Officers.--Not later than 1 
year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in 
consultation with the Access Board, the Director of the Office of 
Management and Budget, and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance 
Programs shall establish guidelines relating to the programs for 
compliance with section 508 and compliance officers of departments and 
agencies, including--
            (1) the role of such programs and authority of compliance 
        officers in departments and agencies;
            (2) the relationship of compliance officers with department 
        and agency information technology officers; and
            (3) the relationship of compliance officers with department 
        and agency acquisition officers, including the authority of 
        compliance officers to intervene in the acquisition process if 
        the information and communications technology a department or 
        agency is seeking to procure is not compliant with section 508.
    (b) Continuous Accessibility Testing for Information and 
Communications Technology.--
            (1) Establishment of testing and evaluation requirements.--
        The Administrator, in consultation with the Director of the 
        Office of Management and Budget and the Access Board, shall 
        establish standardized continuous accessibility testing and 
        evaluation requirements with respect to department and agency 
        information and communications technology that is acquired, 
        developed, maintained, or used by a department or agency, 
        including information and communications technology acquired, 
        developed, maintained, or used before the date of enactment of 
        this Act. Such standardized continuous accessibility testing 
        and evaluation requirements shall include regression testing.
            (2) Technical assistance.--The General Services 
        Administration shall provide technical assistance to 
        departments and agencies with continuous testing and evaluation 
        required pursuant to paragraph (1), including through the 
        establishment of an online hub that includes tools and guidance 
        relating to such testing and evaluation.
    (c) Noncompliant Information and Communications Technology.--In the 
case of information and communications technology acquired, developed, 
maintained, or used before the date of enactment of this Act that is 
found to not be compliant with section 508, as amended by this Act, the 
applicable department or agency shall remediate or remove that 
information and communications technology not later than 90 days after 
the determination of noncompliance.
    (d) Federal Agency Accessibility Compliance.--Section 508 of the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d), as amended by sections 3 
and 4, is further amended by inserting after subsection (h), as added 
by section 4, the following:
    ``(i) Compliance Officer.--
            ``(1) In general.--
                    ``(A) Appointment.--Not later than 90 days after 
                the date that the Administrator establishes guidelines 
                pursuant to section 8 of the Section 508 Refresh Act of 
                2024, the head of each Federal department or agency to 
                which this section applies shall, consistent with such 
                guidelines, appoint a compliance officer who shall have 
                knowledge and experience with website accessibility, 
                the requirements of this section, and the Web Content 
                Accessibility Guidelines that are current as of the 
                date of the appointment.
                    ``(B) Responsibilities.--Each compliance officer 
                appointed under subparagraph (A) shall--
                            ``(i) be responsible for ensuring the 
                        Federal department or agency is meeting the 
                        requirements of this section;
                            ``(ii) be responsible for remaining up-to-
                        date on changes to web content accessibility 
                        requirements and other requirements concerning 
                        the accessibility of information and 
                        communications technology; and
                            ``(iii) report directly to the head of the 
                        Federal department or agency.
            ``(2) Signed certification.--Beginning not later than 1 
        year after the date of enactment of the Section 508 Refresh Act 
        of 2024, and annually thereafter, the head of each Federal 
        department or agency to which this section applies shall--
                    ``(A) post on the home page of the department or 
                agency's website a signed certification that the 
                department or agency is in compliance with the 
                requirements under this section; or
                    ``(B) submit to Congress, and post on the home page 
                of the department or agency's website, a plan with a 
                timeline to ensure the department or agency's 
                compliance with the requirements under this section.
            ``(3) Larger departments and agencies.--With respect to a 
        Federal department or agency to which this section applies that 
        has multiple units within such department or agency headed by 
        Assistant Secretaries or Directors, the head of each such unit 
        shall appoint a compliance officer who shall be responsible for 
        ensuring the unit is meeting the requirements of this section.
            ``(4) Flexibility for smaller departments and agencies.--
        The head of a Federal department or agency to which this 
        section applies that has fewer than 20 full-time employees may 
        appoint one of such full-time employees as the compliance 
        officer for the department or agency, if the majority of the 
        employee's work duties are related to work as the compliance 
        officer.''.
    (e) Guidelines Relating to Performance Appraisals.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Personnel 
        Management, in consultation with the Director of the Office of 
        Management and Budget, the Administrator, and the Access Board, 
        shall issue guidelines for including compliance with section 
        508 as a critical element in performance appraisals for all 
        members of the Senior Executive Service.
            (2) Requirements.--The guidelines issued under paragraph 
        (1) shall determine the factors to be included in the appraisal 
        described in paragraph (1).
    (f) Federal Advisory Committees on Equal Access.--
            (1) Committee establishment.--Not later than 1 year after 
        the date of enactment of this Act, each department or agency 
        shall establish a Federal Advisory Committee on Equal Access 
        if--
                    (A) the department or agency fails to appoint a 
                compliance officer under section 508(i) of the 
                Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d), as added 
                by this Act, or allows the position of compliance 
                officer to go unfilled for more than 6 months;
                    (B) the department or agency fails to publish on 
                the website of the department or agency a signed 
                certification of compliance with the requirements of 
                section 508, or, if unable to publish a signed 
                certification of compliance, a plan to ensure 
                compliance by the department or agency within a 
                specified timeframe;
                    (C) the department or agency fails to publish a 
                signed certification of compliance or update 
                documentation, pursuant to a plan published under 
                subparagraph (B) within the specified timeframe 
                provided under that plan; or
                    (D) the Administrator, in consultation with the 
                Access Board, determines that the department or 
                agency--
                            (i) is habitually non-compliant with 
                        section 508;
                            (ii) has failed to provide appropriate, 
                        continuous testing for information and 
                        communications technology compliance under the 
                        requirements of this Act; or
                            (iii) has failed to appropriately evaluate 
                        employees, including senior executives, for 
                        compliance with section 508, pursuant to the 
                        guidelines issued under subsection (d); or
                            (iv) has made inadequate progress toward 
                        carrying out the compliance plan described in 
                        section 508(i)(2)(B) of the Rehabilitation Act 
                        of 1973 (as added by this Act).
            (2) Committee membership.--The Administrator, in 
        consultation with the Access Board, shall determine the size of 
        each Federal Advisory Committee on Equal Access and membership 
        criteria, which shall include a requirement that a majority of 
        the members be individuals with a disability, and represent a 
        variety of disabilities.
            (3) Meetings; termination.--The Administrator, in 
        consultation with the Access Board, shall determine the 
        frequency of meetings and termination date of each Federal 
        Advisory Committee on Equal Access.
            (4) Reports required.--Each Federal Advisory Committee on 
        Equal Access of a department or agency shall submit to the 
        Administrator, Access Board, and the Inspector General an 
        annual report relating to--
                    (A) compliance of the department or agency with 
                section 508;
                    (B) compliance of the department or agency with 
                other Federal accessibility laws, prioritized by area 
                of greatest need, as determined by the Federal Advisory 
                Committee on Equal Access; and
                    (C) recommendations of the Federal Advisory 
                Committee on Equal Access for improving the department 
                or agency's compliance with section 508 and any other 
                Federal accessibility laws the Federal Advisory 
                Committee on Equal Access examines.

SEC. 9. REPORTS.

    (a) Reporting Requirements.--
            (1) In general.--Subsection (d) of section 508 of the 
        Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is amended to read as follows:
    ``(d) In General.--
            ``(1) Annual compliance reports.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the 
                date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, 
                the Administrator, in consultation with the Director of 
                the Office of Management and Budget and the Access 
                Board, shall prepare and submit to the Committees on 
                Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Aging, 
                Appropriations, and Homeland Security and Governmental 
                Affairs of the Senate and the Committees on Energy and 
                Commerce, Appropriations, and Oversight and Reform of 
                the House of Representatives a report that shall 
                include--
                            ``(i) a comprehensive assessment (including 
                        information identifying the metrics and data 
                        used) of compliance by each department or 
                        agency, and by the Federal Government 
                        generally, with the requirements of this 
                        section;
                            ``(ii) a detailed description of the 
                        actions, activities, and other efforts made by 
                        the Administrator over the year preceding 
                        submission to support such compliance at 
                        agencies and any planned efforts in the coming 
                        year to improve compliance at agencies;
                            ``(iii) a list of recommendations that 
                        agencies or Congress may take to help support 
                        that compliance; and
                            ``(iv) a list of each instance in which a 
                        Federal department or agency declined to 
                        include a requirement of this section that is 
                        missing from a contract between a vendor and 
                        the Federal department or agency, as reported 
                        under section 7(b)(3) of the Section 508 
                        Refresh Act of 2024.
                    ``(B) Report availability.--The Administrator shall 
                ensure that the reports required under this paragraph 
                are made available on a public website and are 
                maintained as an open Government data asset (as that 
                term is defined in section 3502 of title 44, United 
                States Code).
            ``(2) Unresolved complaints.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Beginning not later than 1 year 
                after the date on which the uniform complaint process 
                described in subsection (f), as amended by section 6 of 
                the Section 508 Refresh Act of 2024, is implemented, 
                the Access Board, in consultation with the 
                Administrator, shall prepare and submit an annual 
                report in accordance with subparagraph (B), that shall 
                include, at a minimum, information on--
                            ``(i) the number of unresolved complaints 
                        that--
                                    ``(I) allege that a Federal 
                                department or agency fails to comply 
                                with section 508, by department and 
                                agency; and
                                    ``(II)(aa) have been filed since 
                                the last annual report that are not 
                                resolved at the time the report is 
                                submitted; and
                                    ``(bb) have been filed before the 
                                previous report and remain unresolved 
                                at the time the report is submitted; 
                                and
                            ``(ii) for the purpose of comparing 
                        departments and agencies, the number of 
                        complaints described in clause (i), by 
                        department and agency, that have not been 
                        resolved within the timeline established as 
                        part of such uniform complaint process.
                    ``(B) Report.--The information described in 
                subparagraph (A) may be submitted as part of the report 
                described in paragraph (1). If such information is not 
                submitted as part of that report, such information 
                shall be submitted to Congress, made available on a 
                public website, and maintained as an open Government 
                data asset (as that term is defined in section 3502 of 
                title 44, United States Code).''.
            (2) Repeal.--Subsection (b) of section 752 of the 
        Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (29 U.S.C. 794d-1(b)) is 
        repealed.
    (b) Report to Congress on Exceptions.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in coordination with 
        the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, shall 
        submit to the Special Committee on Aging of the Senate, the 
        Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the 
        Senate, and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House 
        of Representatives, and make available on a public website and 
        maintain as an open Government data asset (as that term is 
        defined in section 3502 of title 44, United States Code), a 
        report on the following exceptions claimed by departments and 
        agencies with respect to the requirements of section 508 under 
        appendix A of section 1194 of title 36, Code of Federal 
        Regulations:
                    (A) E202.2 Legacy ICT.
                    (B) E202.6 Undue Burden or Fundamental Alteration.
                    (C) E202.7 Best Meets.
            (2) Report contents.--The report described in paragraph (1) 
        shall include, at minimum--
                    (A) a list of each exception in effect as of the 
                date of the report, organized by department and agency, 
                including the date the exemption was claimed and the 
                date the exemption expires;
                    (B) the total number of exceptions claimed by each 
                department and agency;
                    (C) plans of the department or agency for the 
                replacement of exempt information and communications 
                technology with information and communications 
                technology that is compliant with section 508, or a 
                justification for not planning to replace exempt 
                information and communications technology; and
                    (D) a description of barriers identified to 
                tracking, evaluating, or reporting on exemptions in 
                effect.
    (c) Comptroller General Report.--
            (1) In general.--Five years after the date of enactment of 
        this Act, the Comptroller General shall prepare and submit a 
        report to the appropriate congressional committees regarding 
        section 508. Such report shall include an evaluation of each of 
        the following:
                    (A) The extent that certain departments and 
                agencies, as selected by the Comptroller General, are 
                addressing compliance with section 508 requirements, 
                including the requirements established under this Act 
                and the amendments made by this Act.
                    (B) Barriers to implementing this Act and the 
                amendments made by this Act.
                    (C) The extent that accessibility standards for 
                information and communications technology used by 
                Federal departments and agencies align with best 
                practices, and the reasons for any variance.
                    (D) Whether changes in technology since the date of 
                enactment of this Act have created new issues regarding 
                compliance with section 508 at departments and agencies 
                selected by the Comptroller General.
                    (E) Recommendations for the executive branch and 
                Congress, as appropriate, for updating section 508 and 
                for improving compliance with section 508.
            (2) Appropriate committees of congress.--For purposes of 
        the subsection, the appropriate committees of Congress are the 
        following:
                    (A) The Special Committee on Aging of the Senate.
                    (B) The Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
                Pensions of the Senate.
                    (C) The Committee on Energy and Commerce of the 
                House of Representatives.
    (d) Cooperation.--Subsection (e) of section 508 of the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d(e)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``(including the Access Board, the Equal 
        Employment Opportunity Commission, and the General Services 
        Administration)'' and inserting ``(including the Access Board 
        and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission)''; and
            (2) by striking ``Attorney General'' and inserting 
        ``Administrator of General Services and the Director of the 
        Office of Management and Budget'' each place the term appears.

SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$4,500,000 for the period of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.
                                 <all>