I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1255
To amend the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to establish certain additional
requirements relating to electronic and information technology accessibil-
ity guidelines for individuals with disabilities, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 9, 1997
Ms. ESHOO (for herself, Mr. FROST, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. FARR of California,
Mrs. MALONEY of New York, Mr. MILLER of California, Mr. MCGOVERN,
and Ms. SLAUGHTER) introduced the following bill; which was referred
to the Committee on Education and the Workforce
A BILL
To amend the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to establish certain
additional requirements relating to electronic and infor-
mation technology accessibility guidelines for individuals
with disabilities, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Federal Electronic and
Information Technology Accessibility Compliance Act of
1997’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following:
(1) There are approximately 145,000 Federal
employees with disabilities and these employees com-
prise 7.5 percent of the Federal workforce.
(2)(A) Although section 508 of the Rehabilita-
tion Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d) requires Federal
agencies to comply with Federal guidelines to ensure
that electronic and information technology used by
such agencies is accessible to individuals with dis-
abilities, there is no enforcement mechanism in such
Act to provide for compliance.
(B) As a result, Federal agencies have an un-
even record of offering accessible technologies to
their employees with disabilities.
(3)(A) States or other recipients of assistance
under section 102 of the Technology-Related Assist-
ance for Individuals With Disabilities Act of 1988
(29 U.S.C. 2212) currently are required to comply
with the guidelines established under section 508 of
the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
(B) However, this provision of law is expected
to expire in 1999, eliminating the link between the
States and the guidelines under section 508 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are—
(1) to strengthen compliance by Federal agen-
cies with the guidelines established under section
508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C.
794d); and
(2) to require States to continue to comply with
such guidelines.
SEC. 3. REQUIREMENT THAT FEDERAL AGENCIES PROVIDE
CERTIFICATION OF COMPLIANCE WITH ELEC-
TRONIC AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
ACCESSIBILITY GUIDELINES UNDER THE RE-
HABILITATION ACT OF 1973.
Section 508(b) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29
U.S.C 794d(b)) is amended to read as follows:
‘‘(b) COMPLIANCE.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each Federal agency shall
comply with the guidelines established under this
section.
‘‘(2) CERTIFICATION.—
‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT OF CERTIFICATION
PROCEDURES.—The Director of the Office of
Management and Budget shall establish uni-
form procedures under which the head of each
Federal agency shall submit to the Director a
written certification, containing such informa-
tion as the Director may reasonably require,
that such agency is in compliance with the
guidelines established under this section.
‘‘(B) SUBMISSION
OF
CERTIFICATION.—
Not later than September 30 of each year, the
head of each Federal agency shall submit to the
Director of the Office of Management and
Budget a written certification in accordance
with the procedures established under subpara-
graph (A).
‘‘(C) REVIEW
OF
CERTIFICATION.—The
Director of the Office of Management and
Budget—
‘‘(i) shall review each certification
submitted by each Federal agency under
subparagraph (B); and
‘‘(ii) shall provide notice to each such
Federal agency that such agency is either
in compliance or not in compliance with
the guidelines established under this sec-
tion, as the case may be.
‘‘(D) ASSISTANCE FOR AND MONITORING
OF
AGENCIES
NOT
IN
COMPLIANCE.—In the
case of a Federal agency that is not in compli-
ance with the guidelines established under this
section, the Director of the Office of Manage-
ment and Budget—
‘‘(i) shall assist such agency in its ef-
forts to comply with such guidelines; and
‘‘(ii) shall monitor the progress of
such agency to comply with such guide-
lines.’’.
SEC. 4. REQUIREMENT THAT STATES CONTINUE TO COM-
PLY WITH ELECTRONIC AND INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY 
ACCESSIBILITY 
GUIDELINES
UNDER TITLE I OF THE REHABILITATION ACT
OF 1973.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 101(a) of the Rehabilita-
tion Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C 721(a)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (35), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the
end;
(2) in paragraph (36), by striking the period at
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(37) provide assurances that the State, or any recip-
ient of funds made available to the State under this title,
will comply with the guidelines established under section
508(a) of this Act.’’.
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—Paragraph (37) of section
101(a) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as added by sub-
section (a), shall take effect one year after the date of
the enactment of this Act.
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