[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 144 (Monday, August 9, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6114-S6115]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 348--RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF INDEPENDENT LIVING 
 FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES MADE POSSIBLE BY THE AMERICANS WITH 
 DISABILITIES ACT OF 1990 AND CALLING FOR FURTHER ACTION TO STRENGTHEN 
      HOME AND COMMUNITY LIVING FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES

  Mr. CASEY (for himself, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Brown, Mr. Kaine, Mr. 
Merkley, Mr. Reed, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Markey, Ms. Warren, 
Mr. Manchin, Mr. Menendez, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Sanders, 
Mr. Cardin, Ms. Hassan, Ms. Cantwell, Ms. Stabenow, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. 
Padilla, Mr. Murphy, Mr. King, Mr. Wyden, Ms. Smith, Mr. Booker, and 
Ms. Klobuchar) submitted the following resolution; which was considered 
and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 348

       Whereas, in enacting the Americans with Disabilities Act of 
     1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.), Congress recognized that 
     ``historically, society has tended to isolate and segregate 
     individuals with disabilities, and, despite some 
     improvements, such forms of discrimination against 
     individuals with disabilities continue to be a serious and 
     pervasive social problem'';
       Whereas the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 
     recognized the rights of individuals with disabilities to 
     fully participate in their communities through independent 
     living, equality of opportunity, and economic self-
     sufficiency;
       Whereas, 31 years after the enactment of the Americans with 
     Disabilities Act of 1990 and 22 years after the decision of 
     the Supreme Court of the United States in Olmstead v. L.C., 
     527 U.S. 581 (1999), many individuals with disabilities 
     continue to live in segregated institutional settings because 
     of a lack of support services;
       Whereas continued instances of segregated institutional 
     settings have hindered the inclusion of individuals with 
     disabilities in communities, schools, and workplaces, 
     undermining the promise of the Americans with Disabilities 
     Act of 1990;
       Whereas people with disabilities living in institutional 
     and long-term care settings suffered disproportionate rates 
     of infection and death during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 
     data showing 60 percent of COVID-19 deaths involved a person 
     with a disability;
       Whereas people of color with disabilities experience 
     disproportionately greater barriers to quality, accessible 
     health care, education, and employment opportunities, 
     infringing on the right of such people under the Americans 
     with Disabilities Act of 1990 to full participation in their 
     communities;
       Whereas, 31 years after the enactment of the Americans with 
     Disabilities Act of 1990, people with disabilities continue 
     to face higher rates of unemployment and barriers to 
     accessible workplaces and access to competitive integrated 
     employment opportunities.

[[Page S6115]]

       Whereas, 31 years after the enactment of the Americans with 
     Disabilities Act of 1990, some telecommunication, electronic, 
     and information technologies continue to be developed without 
     the goal of full accessibility and inclusion for all people 
     of the United States; and
       Whereas, 31 years after the enactment of the Americans with 
     Disabilities Act of 1990, many businesses, public and private 
     organizations, transportation systems, and services are still 
     not accessible to all individuals with disabilities: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) recognizes the importance of independent living for 
     individuals with disabilities made possible by the enactment 
     of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 
     12101 et seq.);
       (2) encourages all people of the United States to celebrate 
     the advancement of inclusion and equality of opportunity made 
     possible by the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities 
     Act of 1990;
       (3) pledges to continue to work on a bipartisan basis to 
     identify and address the remaining barriers that undermine 
     the national goals of equality of opportunity, independent 
     living, economic self-sufficiency, and full participation for 
     individuals with disabilities, including by focusing on 
     individuals with disabilities that remain segregated in 
     institutions;
       (4) pledges to work with States to improve access to home- 
     and community-based services for individuals with 
     disabilities;
       (5) calls on the Department of Labor to provide 
     information, resources, and technical assistance that enable 
     individuals with disabilities to achieve economic self-
     sufficiency; and
       (6) calls on the Department of Health and Human Services to 
     provide information, resources, and technical assistance 
     regarding home- and community-based services and supports 
     that enable individuals with disabilities to live 
     independently.

                          ____________________