[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 131 (Tuesday, July 27, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E827-E828]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN HONOR OF THE 31ST ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT 
                                OF 1990

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DANNY K. DAVIS

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 27, 2021

  Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I wish to honor the 
31st Anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities 
Act of 1990. The law prohibits discrimination by private and public 
institutions toward citizens with disabilities, mandating that any 
entity covered by the law take reasonable steps to make their property, 
lines of communication, and employment accessible to persons with 
disabilities. In the two decades since the law's passage, it has opened 
the door for million Americans to participate more fully in day-to-day 
activities and to pursue opportunities in society. One out of every 
five American households has a family member who has a physical or 
cognitive disability. This historic bill expanded access to physical 
buildings and countless activities, easing the ability of these 
citizens to go about their daily lives freely without concern that they 
will be denied access to a school, shopping center, business, or 
communication device. Access is a freedom that everyone should enjoy, 
and I am proud to celebrate two decades of a law designed to promote 
this freedom for so many. I am proud that many of the accommodations 
that resulted from this law are considered commonplace now.
  My Congressional District has long supported the efforts to promote 
equal civil rights. Chicago has been a leader in the movement to 
improve the livelihood of Americans with disabilities.
  The Affordable Care Act included legislative provisions from my bill 
H.R. 1670, the Community First Choice Option, which allows states to 
include within their Medicaid State Plans an option to receive 
community-based services for individuals with disabilities who are 
eligible for nursing homes and other institutional settings. The 
Community First Choice Option gives people the choice to leave 
facilities and institutions for their own homes and communities with 
appropriate, cost effective services and supports. We should build on 
the precedent set 3 decades ago with the enactment of the ADA by giving 
Americans with disabilities the freedom to choose where they live.
  Equality is a founding principle of our country. It has been an 
arduous process for many groups of people--from the Emancipation 
Proclamation to the Nineteenth Amendment for women's suffrage to the 
Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 
was another milestone in equality for our Nation. Thousands of 
individuals worked in earnest to make this law possible, and thousands 
continue to champion this law's implementation. For these efforts, we 
honor the

[[Page E828]]

31st Anniversary of the enactment of the revolutionary bill.

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