Burgess Owens: “I would like to clarify the fact that this amendment is primarily about health, mandates which affect the health of…”

“I would like to clarify the fact that this amendment is primarily about health, mandates which affect the health of people with disabilities. But I deliberately included other matters because the gray area there is always there for people with disabilities. Their health is affected if they cannot get proper transportation and the ADA gives them the right to transportation, which has to be provided by local governments. And many local governments have refused to take the steps to provide the necessary transportation. There are numerous areas which are gray, which have led to a great deal of litigation about the civil rights that are supposed to be protected under this statute, which always, not always, but usually affect the health and the welfare directly of people with disabilities. So it cannot be separated. The gray areas are such that it would be, a great service would be rendered by, in this legislation, passing this amendment and clarifying once and for all the fact that anything affecting people's health, people with disabilities' health, is also part of the overall protection that is provided for people with disabilities.”