Goodlatte Praises Passage of Judiciary Bill to Reform the ADA

Washington, D.C. - Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 620, the ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017, a product of the House Judiciary Committee. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Representative Ted Poe (R-Texas), chief sponsor of this legislation, have released the following statements: Chairman Goodlatte: “This legislation provides important reforms to the ADA that will provide more access for persons with disabilities, educate businesses on the proper way to provide public accommodations, and fend off costly and wasteful lawsuits. The ADA Education and Reform Act safeguards the best intentions of the ADA, while including commonsense solutions to make sure the law is not abused by misguided trial lawyers.  I am pleased that the House has voted to provide more access for more Americans more quickly, and I thank my colleague Representative Ted Poe on his important contributions to this bipartisan bill.”  Representative Poe: “The Americans with Disability Act is a long-standing law that was intended to make business more accessible to the disabled. This common-sense legislation simply provides a notice and cure period, allowing businesses the opportunity to understand and fix an alleged violation. If a violation is not fixed within 120 days, a plaintiff retains their right to sue. This legislation restores the purpose of the ADA: to provide access and accommodation to disabled Americans, not to fatten the wallets of unscrupulous attorneys. I urge the Senate to quickly take up this legislation and put an end to unscrupulous attorney’s abuse of the ADA.” Background: The ADA is a landmark piece of legislation that protects those with disabilities. However, some have taken advantage of the system to file exorbitant lawsuits for monetary gain. Some plaintiffs’ attorneys have even targeted multiple businesses they have never frequented for minor compliance issues and then demanded large fees—when compliance could have been achieved faster and cheaper if only fair notice and an opportunity to cure had been given. The bill alters the public accommodation provisions in Title III of the ADA to remedy this problem. Under this legislation, those who seek action against businesses for ADA compliance issues must first give a written notice. Businesses then have 60 days to respond in writing and 120 days to make necessary changes before being subject to civil action. H.R. 620 also instructs the Department of Justice to create an education program for state and local governments and property owners regarding ADA compliance.