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 opportunities for tens of thousands of working-
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age veterans who have been wounded in action or have suffered
injuries or illnesses related to their service in the Global War
on Terror; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives recognize and
honor the 30th anniversary of the date of enactment of the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives salute everyone
whose efforts contributed to the enactment of the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives encourage
everyone in the United States to celebrate the advancement of
freedom and the expansion of opportunity made possible by the
enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; and be
it further
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives pledge to
continue to work on a bipartisan basis to support opportunity,
independent living, economic self-sufficiency and the full
participation of individuals in the United States who have
disabilities.
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