Blog

ADA Reform Passes House

BOMA achieved a major victory in the battle against “drive-by” lawsuits. H.R. 620, the “ADA Education and Reform Act” of 2017, sponsored by Reps. Ted Poe (R-Texas) and Scott Peters (D-Calif.) passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 225-192 with bipartisan support.  This issue has been a top legislative priority for BOMA International for several years.

The House-passed bill will help curb drive-by lawsuits by imposing a “notice and cure” period before allowing a civil lawsuit to commence in the event of an ADA access violation. It allows 60 days for the building owner to give a written description outlining improvements that will remove the barrier to entry and an additional 60 days for the owner to remove the barrier or make substantial progress towards removing the barrier.   

In late January, nearly 350 BOMA members flooded more than 200 Capitol Hill offices to promote H.R. 620 during the 2018 Winter Business Meeting & National Issues Conference.   Additionally, hundreds of our members contacted their congressional representatives through BOMA's Legislative Action Center, demonstrating our grassroots strength. This outreach, coupled with the hard work by BOMA International's advocacy team, helped garner the votes needed for a favorable vote. 

This is a highly charged issue and we appreciate the leadership in the House. The Senate now faces the same challenge in passing similar legislation and needs our help. BOMA International is working with legislators to build upon this momentum and move the issue forward.

For more information on BOMA International's legislative priorities, visit the Advocacy section of www.boma.org.

Source: BOMA International President Update

Comments

There have been no comments made on this article. Why not be the first and add your own comment using the form below.

Leave a comment

Commenting is restricted to members only. Please login now to submit a comment.