Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman, I am offering this amendment with my colleague and fellow Bipartisan Disabilities Caucus co-chair, Representative Gregg Harper. I want to mention that it is the only bipartisan amendment being offered to H.R. 620, and I think it is important to stress this point. Mr. Chairman, two Members of Congress from different political parties--who represent a caucus that exists solely to inform, educate, and highlight issues impacting the disability community--have come together to say that there is something gravely wrong with this bill. We are offering an amendment that would make it palatable. The amendment would strike H.R. 620's notice and cure requirement. As presently written, the notice and cure section mandates that someone who claims discrimination on the basis of a disability relating to an architectural barrier must provide a written notice that allows 60 days in order to acknowledge receipt of the complaint and 120 days to demonstrate substantial progress in removing the barrier before further legal action may be pursued. That is 6 months of waiting without a guarantee that the architectural barrier will be removed and access granted. So the idea that places of public accommodation must first receive a notice before correctly implementing a law that has been part of our legal framework for nearly three decades creates an obvious disincentive for ADA compliance.…”