Pennsylvania HR 543: A Resolution recognizing and honoring the 30th anniversary of the date of enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Bill Text

2019-2020 Regular Session HR 543 PN 2629 Bill Text (HTM) 

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PRINTER'S NO. 2629 

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION 

No.

543 

Session of 

2019 

INTRODUCED BY D. MILLER, MIZGORSKI, McNEILL, PICKETT, RABB, 

POLINCHOCK, SCHMITT, BIZZARRO, ZABEL, DONATUCCI, FRANKEL, 

RAVENSTAHL, MARKOSEK, HOHENSTEIN, BURNS, RYAN, SHUSTERMAN, 

SAPPEY, KORTZ, MERSKI, DiGIROLAMO, PASHINSKI, SCHLEGEL 

CULVER, MILLARD, LONGIETTI, MURT, HILL-EVANS, DAVIDSON, 

DeLUCA, SAYLOR, THOMAS, READSHAW, MENTZER, CIRESI, 

YOUNGBLOOD, CALTAGIRONE, McCLINTON, MOUL, STAATS, MADDEN, 

OBERLANDER, O'MARA, ROEBUCK, JOHNSON-HARRELL, GALLOWAY, 

SAINATO, WARREN, GILLEN, KIM AND SCHWEYER, SEPTEMBER 30, 2019 

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES, SEPTEMBER 30, 2019 

A RESOLUTION

Recognizing and honoring the 30th anniversary of the date of 

enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

WHEREAS, July 26, 2020, marks the 30th anniversary of the 

date of enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 

(ADA); and

WHEREAS, The ADA has been one of the most significant and 

effective civil rights laws passed by the Congress of the United 

States; and

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; and

WHEREAS, The dedicated efforts of passionate and courageous 

disability rights advocates served to awaken the Congress of the 

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United States and the people of the United States to the 

discrimination and prejudice that individuals with disabilities 

face; and

WHEREAS, The Congress of the United States worked in a 

bipartisan manner to craft legislation to make discrimination 

against individuals with disabilities illegal; and

WHEREAS, The Congress of the United States passed the ADA, 

and President George Herbert Walker Bush signed the ADA into law 

on July 26, 1990; and

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; and

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;

and

WHEREAS, The ADA has played a historic role in allowing more 

than 55 million 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; and

WHEREAS, The ADA has served as a model for disability rights 

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in other countries; and

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; and

WHEREAS, Thirty years after the date of enactment of the ADA, 

the ADA 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; and

WHEREAS, Thirty 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; and

WHEREAS, Thirty years after the date of enactment of the ADA 

and 16 years after the Supreme Court of the United States 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 these individuals to live and work in their 

community; and

WHEREAS, Thirty years after the date of enactment of the ADA, 

the ADA remains a crucial tool for individuals with disabilities 

who experience barriers to accessibility in telecommunications 

and information technologies; and

WHEREAS, The United States has a responsibility to welcome 

back and create opportun