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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 31 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. CON. RES. 31

   Recognizing the need to improve physical access to many federally 
  funded facilities for all people of the United States, particularly 
                       people with disabilities.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 22, 2024

 Mr. Blumenthal (for himself, Mr. Fetterman, Mr. Kelly, Ms. Duckworth, 
Mr. Casey, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Merkley, and Mr. Van Hollen) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                 Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 
   Recognizing the need to improve physical access to many federally 
  funded facilities for all people of the United States, particularly 
                       people with disabilities.

Whereas the First Amendment to the Constitution prevents Congress from making 
        any law respecting an establishment of religion, prohibiting the free 
        exercise of religion, or abridging the freedom of speech, the freedom of 
        the press, the right to peaceably assemble, or to petition for a 
        governmental redress of grievances, and was adopted on December 15, 
        1791, as 1 of the 10 amendments that constitute the Bill of Rights;
Whereas the Bill of Rights, specifically the First Amendment to the 
        Constitution, calls for the right of all persons to peaceably assemble, 
        and to this end, all persons, regardless of their physical ability, 
        shall be offered equal opportunity to access all federally funded, in 
        whole or part, amenities;
Whereas, in the 33 years since Congress enacted the Americans with Disabilities 
        Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.), there have been unprecedented 
        advances in all forms of technology, typified by automatic doors;
Whereas, in 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 1 in 
        4 adults, or 61,000,000 people, have a disability;
Whereas disability is a universal concern, as an aging population increases the 
        incidence of frailty and disability;
Whereas, as significant advances in medical treatment result in increased 
        survival rates, the incidence of disability increases;
Whereas, in 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 5,400,000 veterans 
        received service-related disability benefits;
Whereas, in 2023, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the unemployment 
        rate of persons with a disability was twice that of nondisabled adults;
Whereas, in 2023, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that people of color have 
        the highest disability rates in the United States;
Whereas Congress enacted the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4151 
        et seq.) to ensure that certain federally funded facilities are designed 
        and constructed to be accessible to people with disabilities;
Whereas the United States Access Board (referred to in this preamble as the 
        ``Board'') recently issued a final rule on accessibility guidelines for 
        pedestrian facilities in the public right-of-way that addresses various 
        issues, including access for blind pedestrians at street crossings, 
        wheelchair access to on-street parking, and various constraints posed by 
        space limitations, roadway design practices, slope, and terrain;
Whereas the new guidelines of the Board cover pedestrian access to sidewalks and 
        streets, including crosswalks, curb ramps, street furnishings, 
        pedestrian signals, parking, and other components of public rights-of-
        way;
Whereas the aim of the Board in developing new guidelines is to ensure that 
        access for persons with disabilities is provided wherever a pedestrian 
        way is newly built or altered, and that the same degree of convenience, 
        connection, and safety afforded the public generally is available to 
        pedestrians with disabilities;
Whereas, once the new guidelines developed by the Board are adopted by the 
        Department of Justice, they will become enforceable standards under 
        title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12131 
        et seq.); and
Whereas the United States was founded on principles of equality and freedom, and 
        those principles require that all people, including people with 
        disabilities, are able to engage as equal members of society: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) recognizes that people in the United States with 
        disabilities experience barriers to access on a daily basis;
            (2) reaffirms its support of the Architectural Barriers Act 
        of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4151 et seq.) and the Americans with 
        Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.), and 
        encourages full compliance with those Acts; and
            (3) pledges to make universal and inclusive design a 
        guiding principle for all infrastructure bills and projects and 
        will continue working to identify and remove the barriers that 
        prevent all people of the United States from having equal 
        access to the services provided by the Federal Government.
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