Date: 1990-05-17
Speaker: THOMAS A. LUKEN (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chairman. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Chairman. the Americans With Disabilities Act is perhaps the most important civil rights bill for the disabled that has ever been considered by the Congress. The bill seeks to end discrimination against the 43 million Americans who suffer from some disability. in such critical areas as employment. transportation. public and private accommodations. and communications. The premise of the bill is unassailable. The results of discrimination against disabled Americanswhether they suffer from mobility or sensory impairments. mental retardation. disease. or other physican and mental impairmentsare insidious and potentially devastating. Discrimination. whether produced by overt actions or thoughtless attitudes. produces segregation. exclusion. impoverishment. and denial of equal and meaningful opportunities. By denying the benefits of equal treatment and participation to millions of disabled Americans. our country suffers. The bill before us will help to ensure equal rights and opportunities for disabled Americans. This bill will allow greater productivity and responsibility for disabled individuals. This bill will help to remove the barriers which have impeded disabled persons from being more productive members of American society. In short. this bill will help our country use an immense amount of talent. intelligence. and other human resources which heretofore have been underestimated. underdeveloped. and underutilized. Our subcommittees jurisdiction of this bill focused on transportation provisions primarily relating to Amtrak and commuter railroads. All of us recognize the crucial role transportation plays in our lives. It is the veritable lifeline which enables all persons to enjoy the full economic and social benefits which our country offers. To be denied effective transportation is to be denied the full benefits of employment. public and private services. and other basic opportunities. The amendment which our committee adopted requires Amtrak and commuter railroads to be accessible to disabled persons. Under this bill. all of Amtraks 500 stations will be fully accessible within the next 20 years. Within the next 3 years. key commuter rail stations will be made accessible. Under the bill. Amtrak and commuter railroads will be required to purchase accessible new passenger cars. to make good faith efforts to lease or purchase accessible used cars. and to ensure accessibility on rail passenger cars which are remanufactured. Under the bill. equivalent dining services will be provided to disabled riders on Amtrak. In short. the bill offers a realistic and defined set of rules for assuring disabled persons access to rail transportation services. Testimony at our subcommittees hearing last fall indicated that Amtrak and many commuter railroads already do a fairly good job of serving disabled persons. This is not to say that there are not some problems. But the discussions and negotiations on this bill. at a minimum. have raised the level of awareness for the legitimate concerns that exist on all sides of the fence. and have improved communication between the parties. I believe that opening up and continuing that dialog may be as important as the changes made in this bill. I wish to commend my friend and colleague. Mr. DINGELL. the distinguished chairman of the full committee. Mr. LENT. the ranking minority member of the full committee. and