House Votes to Gut The Americans With Disabilities Act to Nip 'Abusive Lawsuits'

[DonViejo]

Source: Newsweek Magazine




BY CARLOS BALLESTEROS ON 2/15/18 AT 12:50 PM

In a 225-192 vote, most House Republicans and a dozen Democrats passed a bill on Thursday that makes it harder for disabled persons to sue for discrimination in an effort to prevent opportunistic attorneys from taking advantage of business owners.

But many disability and civil rights groups fear the bill will weaken incentives for businesses to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, which mandates equal access to public accommodations.

Proponents argue that the bill, The ADA Education and Reform Act, or H.R. 620, is necessary to stem the flow of "drive-by lawsuits" brought by lawyers who only wish to line their pockets. The bill would require those filing suit in federal court against businesses for not complying with the ADA to first give that business 60 days to devise a plan to fix the issue, and another 120 days to implement the changes.

“There is now a whole industry made up of people who prey on small business owners and file unnecessary and abusive lawsuits,” Representative Ted Poe of Texas, who co-sponsored the bill, said after introducing the measure in 2017. “This bill will change that by requiring that the business owners have time to fix what is allegedly broken.”


Read more: http://www.newsweek.com/house-republicans-americans-disabilities-act-civil-rights-808106

[Eliot Rosewater]

1. GOP are uncomfortable around disabled people.

Like they are uncomfortable around POC and Muslims, etc.

Supporting them is not in their wheelhouse.

[47of74]

3. As do the so called Democrats who voted with them.

[Eliot Rosewater]

5. You have to look at their districts before you judge them.

The worst democrat, a democrat who worships Satan, is better than any republican.

[Ken Burch]

13. There have to be some limits.

In 2010, after the GOP took the House, a Dem from somewhere in the South announced he was going to vote for Boehner as speaker instead of Pelosi(it was pointless for him to do it, Boehner was GOING to be speaker anyway and it wasn't going to get any of the guy's legislation passed). It should at least be ok to primary somebody like that, or to do so if, somehow, we actually had a Dem get in and then announce that she or he was for "states' rights" and was therefore going to vote against all anti-discrimination legislation).

We have to have SOME basic human standards here.

If not, it it's just going to be about electing somebody who SAYS they're a Dem, why should we even exist as a party? Winning elections is a good thing, but winning elections simply to win elections isn't anything at all.

It can leave us endlessly replicating the earlier situation in Alabama, where Dems nominated Richard Shelby and then, within a few years after he was elected, even though he'd been deferred to endlessly and nobody in the Senate Dem leadership had asked anything of him, he flounced off to the GOP anyway.

We should focus on winning the votes of people who are more likely to actually agree with us. People who think we're "too liberal" as a party are pretty much never going to vote for us anyway.

[Girard442]

8. There was once another political movement that had a high discomfort level with the disabled.

They came up with a Solution.

[Eliot Rosewater]

9. Their leader lived for many years in South America most likely and I happen to believe

he befriended certain families in North America.

[Autumn]

10. I believe it was called "The Final Solution"

[appalachiablue]

15. And the early NAZI T4 PROGRAM since 1939, euthanasia,

extermination of infants, children, then adults with physical, mental or neurological conditions and disabilities. Murder.

https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005200

Recent calls for Americans to contact authorities about 'neighbors', reeks of Nazi policy to report on persons deemed suspect because they were allegedly communists, Jews, gays, anti-govt. or something else.

>The FBI WAS informed about yesterday's FL shooter who had posted hate all over social media; what good did it do?

[SCVDem]

25. I called it the Stasi.

From Wiki: One of its main tasks was spying on the population, mainly through a vast network of citizens turned informants, and fighting any opposition by overt and covert measures, including hidden psychological destruction of dissidents.

This was East Germany under the Iron Curtain.

[appalachiablue]

27. For sure, during rule by the Stasi in East Germany no person was spared.

Ultra creep state surveillance, informants, and total control. Many aspects have only been coming out in the last 20 years.

http://www.stasimuseum.de/en/enausstellung.htm

[Cracklin Charlie]

2. Shameless Granny Starvers

They will get what’s comin to them.

I have no doubt of that.

[CountAllVotes]

11. What makes you think that disabled people are all "granny" types

I've been totally disabled since I was 38 years old. That is not a "granny" so to speak.

Disabled people come in all shapes, ages and colors.

I do not believe there are nearly enough protections in place for the disabled in our society who are often sneered at and/or overlooked.

Shame on anyone that thinks differently.

Try walking one-half of one block in the moccasins of any disabled person out there is what I have to say!

[Cracklin Charlie]

14. Of course I dont think that.

Believe me, CountAllVotes, I am a proud supporter of any program to help anyone with any disability, of whatever age. It is my firmly held belief that my tax dollars should be spent on more programs for the disabled, the aged, the poor, and our veterans and less tax dollars wasted on tax breaks for rich people.

A nation is known by how it treats it’s most vulnerable citizens. Our current leaders are failing those citizens, and our nation. These lawmakers should be ashamed of themselves.


I happen to be a granny myself, one that is just a little pissed off today over these latest goings on. No offense to anyone, Granny or otherwise. It’s just that Granny Starver is a name that fits them so well. I am trying so hard not to hate them. It’s too hard today.

I apologize for my lack of sensitivity.

[CountAllVotes]

17. I don't really *hate* them

I feel sorry for them as they seem to lack basic human qualities such as knowing what love and compassion are, that is how very lost they are in life. They are a bunch of sorry losers IMO.

I just hope they go away real soon as they are making some of my friends that have the same problem as I have very ill right now as stress activates the condition we share. They fear they will lose what paltry benefits they *might* receive and medical issues as well.

Some day everyone will be a "granny" so to speak. That day will be the day when suddenly all is not well and things are no longer as they once were. It is most distressing believe me and yes, they will learn one way or the other.

Shame on them!

[Zoonart]

4. So if you follow this "logic" in order to get rid of

"ambulance chasers" we should have no ambulances?
Destroy all the resources we have to maintain accessability. Not to mention justice.

[2naSalit]

7. Yup... that's it. nt

[lapfog_1]

6. So back in the 1990s I was a part owner of a bar...

before we opened we remodeled the space we were renting to put in the bar, various seating areas, a stage and DJ booth, and a coat check. The law required us to change the plans a bit to add a ramp to get to the stage and to widen the coat check area and door into the coat check to be wheelchair accessible. Those modifications added maybe $10K to the cost of the remodel (around $150K total price tag).

We were glad to do it to be in compliance. And we even had groups perform on our stage where one or more people were in wheelchairs so... that was cool.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

12. wrong target

"Indeed, ethics rules bar attorneys from bringing frivolous lawsuits. Rather than go after people with disabilities, attention should be focused on stopping these few bad attorneys."

I look forward to hearing what Senator Duckworth has to say about this House bill.

[Autumn]

16. This is what Senator Duckworth has to say

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/congress-is-on-the-offensive-against-americans-with-disabilities/2017/10/17/f508069c-b3

This offensive legislation would segregate the disability community, making it the only protected class under civil rights law that must rely on “education” — rather than strong enforcement — to guarantee access to public spaces. As the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Rights Task Force and other civil rights organizations wrote in opposing this bill, “We know of no other law that outlaws discrimination but permits entities to discriminate with impunity until victims experience that discrimination and educate the entities perpetrating it about their obligations not to discriminate.”

For decades, from enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 through passage of the ADA, Congress has worked to enshrine the principle in law that no American should be denied access to a public space because of who they are, be it their race, nationality, religion, gender or disability. The ADA Education and Reform Act betrays this bipartisan legacy.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

18. thank you!

I expect she may get a bit more fierce now that it has passed the House.

[Autumn]

23. I hope she does. This is unforgivable.

[Bob_in_VA]

19. Bunch of nonsense

So it takes 27 years for someone to "suddenly" discover that their establishment doesn't meet ADA standards? Really? I wonder if the Repubs are aware of the legal principle, "Ignorance of the law is no excuse", because this law seems to violate that principle.

[FailureToCommunicate]

22. It HAS been 27 years! Wow, doesn't seem that long ago...

[turbinetree]

20. Isn't that just fucking nice and dandy....................any public hearings.....................

and any committee reports...............


What the fuck are is wrong with these assholes..................that voted to gut people that have disabilities, some of these jerks may have a problem later, their parents, their kids , this is just fucking sick


Hey Paul "ayn rand" Ryan, and your fucking worthless team of right wing fascist FUCK YOU...........

donate, if you would please


https://www.randybryceforcongress.com/

[IronLionZion]

21. Next they'll tell us "all lives matter"

especially disabled police and veterans.

The main reason Republicans always think people are cheating the system is because Republicans cheat the system every chance they can. They're projecting. Dishonest people are always suspicious of others.

[Bengus81]

24. And they got 12 Democrats to vote for this???

Now they can trash people and just use some attorney's as an excuse--WTF?!?!?! Seems to me that if it truly was a frivolous lawsuit that would be up to a Judge or jury or BOTH.

[dembotoz]

26. right to life???? not so much.......