[Pages S4627-S4628]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 19--RECOGNIZING THE NEED TO IMPROVE 
 PHYSICAL ACCESS TO MANY FEDERALLY FUNDED FACILITIES FOR ALL PEOPLE OF 
        THE UNITED STATES, PARTICULARLY PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

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

                            S. Con. Res. 19

       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 35 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 2024, the Centers for Disease Control and 
     Prevention found that 1 in 4 adults, or more than 70,000,000 
     people, have a disability in the United States;
       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 2024, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 
     31 percent of all veterans, or 5,500,000 veterans, had a 
     service-connected disability;
       Whereas, in 2024, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 
     the unemployment rate of persons with a disability was nearly 
     twice that of nondisabled adults;
       Whereas, in 2024, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 
     people of color have the highest disability rates in the 
     United States;
       Whereas Public Law 90-480 (commonly known as the 
     ``Architectural Barriers Act of 1968'') (42 U.S.C. 4151 et 
     seq.) was enacted 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'') issued a final rule in August 2023 
     addressing 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 August 2023 guidelines of the Board (referred 
     to in this preamble as the ``guidelines'') 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 the guidelines 
     was to ensure that access for persons with disabilities is 
     provided

[[Page S4628]]

     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 the Department of Transportation adopted the 
     guidelines in December 2024, and all newly constructed and 
     altered transit stops in the United States became subject to 
     the guidelines in January 2025;
       Whereas once the guidelines 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 with disabilities in the United 
     States experience barriers to access on a daily basis;
       (2) reaffirms its support of Public Law 90-480 (commonly 
     known as 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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