III 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 197 

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 

JUNE 9, 2015 

Mr. BLUMENTHAL (for himself, Ms. AYOTTE, Mr. MURPHY, Mr. MENENDEZ, 

Mr. BROWN, and Mr. SCHATZ) submitted the following resolution; which 

was considered and agreed to 

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, in 2012, nearly 20 percent of the civilian population 

in the United States reported having a disability; 

Whereas, in 2012, 16 percent of veterans, amounting to more 

than 3,500,000 people, received service-related disability 

benefits; 

Whereas, in 2011, the percentage of working-age people in 

the United States who reported having a work limitation 

due to a disability was 7 percent, which is a 20-year 

high; 


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•SRES 197 ATS 

Whereas the Act entitled ‘‘An Act to insure that certain 

buildings financed with Federal funds are so designed 

and constructed as to be accessible to the physically 

handicapped’’, approved August 12, 1968 (42 U.S.C. 

4151 et seq.) (referred to in this preamble as the ‘‘Architectural Barriers Act of 1968’’), was enacted to ensure 

that certain federally funded facilities are designed and 

constructed to be accessible to people with disabilities and 

requires that physically handicapped people have ready 

access to, and use of, post offices and other Federal facilities; 

Whereas automatic doors, though not mandated by either the 

Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 or the Americans with 

Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.), provide a greater degree of self-sufficiency and dignity for 

people with disabilities and the elderly, who may have 

limited strength to open a manually operated door; 

Whereas a report commissioned by the Architectural and 

Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (referred to 

in this preamble as the ‘‘Access Board’’), an independent 

Federal agency created to ensure access to federally 

funded facilities for people with disabilities, recommends 

that all new buildings for use by the public should have 

at least one automated door at an accessible entrance, except for small buildings where adding such doors may be 

a financial hardship for the owners of the buildings; 

Whereas States and municipalities have begun to recognize 

the importance of automatic doors in improving accessibility; 

Whereas the laws of the State of Connecticut require automatic doors in certain shopping malls and retail businesses, the laws of the State of Delaware require autoVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:34 Jun 09, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR197.ATS SR197

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•SRES 197 ATS 

matic doors or calling devices for newly constructed 

places of accommodation, and the laws of the District of 

Columbia have a similar requirement; 

Whereas the Facilities Standards for the Public Buildings 

Service, published by the General Services Administration, requires automation of at least one exterior door for 

all newly constructed or renovated facilities managed by 

the General Services Administration, including post offices; 

Whereas from 2006 to 2011, 71 percent of the complaints received by the Access Board regarding the Architectural 

Barriers Act of 1968 concerned a post office or other facility of the United States Postal Service; 

Whereas the United States Postal Service employs approximately 522,000 people, making it the second-largest civilian employer in the United States; 

Whereas approximately 3,200,000 people visit 1 of the 

31,857 post offices in the United States each day; and 

Whereas the United States was founded on principles of 

equality and freedom, and these principles require that 

all people, including people with disabilities, are able to 

engage as equal members of society: Now, therefore, be 

it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes the immense hardships that peo3 ple with disabilities in the United States must over4 come every day; 

5 (2) reaffirms its support of the Act entitled 

6 ‘‘An Act to insure that certain buildings financed 


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•SRES 197 ATS 

1 with Federal funds are so designed and constructed 

2 as to be accessible to the physically handicapped’’, 

3 approved August 12, 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4151 et seq.), 

4 commonly known as the ‘‘Architectural Barriers Act 

5 of 1968’’, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 

6 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.), and encourages full 

7 compliance with such Acts; 

8 (3) recommends that the United States Postal 

9 Service and Federal agencies install power-assisted 

10 doors at post offices and other federally funded fa11 cilities, respectively, to ensure equal access for all 

12 people of the United States; and 

13 (4) pledges to continue to work to identify and 

14 remove the barriers that prevent all people of the 

15 United States from having equal access to the serv16 ices provided by the Federal Government. 

Æ 


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