III 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 361 

Recognizing the importance of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 on the lives 

of individuals with disabilities and calling for further action to advance 

access, opportunity, and equity for individuals with disabilities. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 26 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 22), 2023 

Mr. MARKEY (for himself, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. CASEY, Ms. HASSAN, Mr. 

FETTERMAN, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Ms. WARREN, Mr. MURPHY, Mr. VAN

HOLLEN, and Mr. BLUMENTHAL) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 

Pensions 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing the importance of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 

on the lives of individuals with disabilities and calling 

for further action to advance access, opportunity, and 

equity for individuals with disabilities. 

Whereas September 26, 2023, marks the 50th anniversary of 

the passage of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 

701 et seq.); 

Whereas, with the enactment of the Rehabilitation Act of 

1973 (29 U.S.C. 701 et seq.), the discrimination faced by 

individuals with disabilities was recognized as systemic, 

rather than as an experience of the individual; 


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•SRES 361 IS 

Whereas the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 701 et 

seq.) was modeled on anti-discrimination laws on the 

basis of race and sex; 

Whereas the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 701 et 

seq.) recognized individuals with disabilities as a class of 

people subject to discrimination based on the identity individuals with disabilities share; 

Whereas Congress worked in a bipartisan manner to enact 

legislation to address the civil rights of individuals with 

disabilities; 

Whereas Congress passed the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 

U.S.C. 701 et seq.), which President Richard Nixon 

signed into law on September 26, 1973; 

Whereas, in enacting the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 

U.S.C. 701 et seq.), Congress, for the first time, addressed the civil rights of individuals with disabilities; 

Whereas the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 701 et 

seq.) expanded employment opportunities and further advanced independent living for individuals with disabilities 

through improvements to vocational rehabilitation services; 

Whereas section 501 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 

U.S.C. 791)— 

(1) prohibits discrimination against individuals with 

disabilities in Federal employment and has resulted in 

the Federal Government benefitting from the efforts of 

the nearly 10 percent of the Federal workforce who have 

disabilities; and 

(2) requires Federal agencies to establish an affirmative action program for the hiring, placement, and advancement of individuals with disabilities; 


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•SRES 361 IS 

Whereas section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 

U.S.C. 793) prohibits Federal contractors from discriminating in employment against individuals with disabilities 

and requires employers take affirmative actions to recruit, hire, promote, and retain individuals with disabilities; 

Whereas title VII of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 

U.S.C. 796 et seq.) established the Independent Living 

Services and Centers of Independent Living programs to 

promote the independence, self-determination, equal access, and leadership of individuals with disabilities; 

Whereas section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 

U.S.C. 794) prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in all federally assisted programs or activities and 

laid the foundation for the passage of the Americans with 

Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.); 

Whereas section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 

U.S.C. 794) has impacted access to and equity in 

healthcare, education, community living, employment opportunities, housing, transportation, electronic information and technology, and all other facets of life for individuals with disabilities; 

Whereas, on April 28, 1977, nearly 4 years after the enactment of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 701 

et seq.), disability rights activists secured implementation 

of the rights established under that Act after leading sitins of Federal buildings across the United States; 

Whereas section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 

U.S.C. 794d), an important addition made to the Act in 

1986 and expanded in 1998, improves the information 


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•SRES 361 IS 

and communications technology of Federal agencies to be 

accessible to individuals with disabilities; 

Whereas 50 years after the enactment of the Rehabilitation 

Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 701 et seq.), individuals with disabilities still experience discrimination and barriers that 

interfere with their full participation in economic and social life in the United States; and 

Whereas 50 years after the enactment of the Rehabilitation 

Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 701 et seq.), the Act remains a 

critical law in advancing access, opportunity, and equity 

for individuals with disabilities, especially in historically 

underserved communities, and in meeting the goals of full 

participation, equal opportunity, independent living, and 

economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes the importance of access, oppor3 tunity, and equity for individuals with disabilities, 

4 made possible by the enactment of the Rehabilitation 

5 Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 701 et seq.); 

6 (2) encourages individuals of the United States 

7 to celebrate the advancements made possible by the 

8 enactment of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 

9 U.S.C. 701 et seq.); 

10 (3) pledges to continue to work in a bipartisan 

11 manner to address access and equity barriers that 

12 remain for individuals with disabilities, particularly 

13 multimarginalized individuals, including Black, inVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:39 Sep 27, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR361.IS SR361

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•SRES 361 IS 

1 digenous, and other people of color, immigrants, 

2 LBGTQ people, low-income individuals, and people 

3 living in rural and underserved areas; 

4 (4) pledges to continue to work with State and 

5 local educational agencies to provide equal access to 

6 a free appropriate public education for all students 

7 with disabilities, including individuals with disabil8 ities with multimarginalized identities; 

9 (5) pledges to continue to work with public 

10 health and healthcare delivery systems to address 

11 healthcare disparities and inadequate services for in12 dividuals with disabilities, from preventive care to 

13 home and community-based services; 

14 (6) calls on Federal agencies to improve equal 

15 employment opportunities for workers with disabil16 ities in the Federal sector through recruitment, hir17 ing, promotion, and retention initiatives; and 

18 (7) calls on the Department of Justice and the 

19 General Services Administration to improve their en20 forcement of, and oversight and compliance with, 

21 section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 

22 U.S.C. 794d). 

Æ 


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