[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 120 (Tuesday, July 28, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S6078]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 20--RECOGNIZING AND HONORING THE 25TH 
ANNIVERSARY OF THE DATE OF ENACTMENT OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES 
                              ACT OF 1990

  Mr. HATCH (for himself, Mrs. Murray, Ms. Ayotte, Ms. Murkowski, Ms. 
Collins, Mr. Kirk, Mr. Rounds, Mr. Cochran, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Kaine, Ms. 
Baldwin, Ms. Cantwell, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Brown, Ms. Mikulski, Mr. Leahy, 
Mr. Casey, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Schumer, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. King, Mrs. 
Shaheen, Mr. Franken, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Markey, Ms. Heitkamp, Mr. 
Bennet, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Menendez, Ms. Stabenow, Ms. Warren, Mr. 
Alexander, Mr. Whitehouse, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Reed of Rhode Island, and 
Mr. Cardin) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
considered and agreed to:

                            S. Con. Res. 20

       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.

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