Ted Poe: “Arctic Circle in Eureka, California, used to be a place where you could get a great burger and a cold milkshake. But not…”

“Arctic Circle in Eureka, California, used to be a place where you could get a great burger and a cold milkshake. But not anymore thanks to a lawsuit. A serial plaintiff alleged that their counters were too high and their doors were not quite wide enough. So without a chance to fix the alleged infractions, the drive-by lawsuit shuttered the doors of Arctic Circle. The Americans with Disabilities Act has made tremendous progress in increasing accessibility. But small businesses across America are being targeted by serial plaintiffs who troll for minor, correctable ADA infractions. If the business had notice, they could cure the problem rather than pay the shakedown by the lawyers. My bill, the ADA Reform Act, requires businesses to be notified of an alleged violation and be given time to fix the issue before a lawsuit can commence. If businesses fail to correct the infractions, the plaintiff can and should sue. It is time to stop attorneys from lining their pocketbooks off the backs of disabled Americans and small businesses in our country. And that is just the way it is. ____________________”