Earlier this week, AWB joined with state disability rights organizations in supporting the US House passage of H.R. 3195, an amended, compromise version of the ADA Restoration Act which amends the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. From a joint letter led by AWB and the Governor's Council on Disability Issues and Employment:
People with disabilities are a large, underutilized source of new workers, and a rapidly growing segment of our consumer market. Social justice and our economy are both served when businesses are supported in their efforts to tap into and develop these potentials.
This effort mirrors a similar coalition at the national level between AWB-affiliates like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and nationwide disability rights organizations to update certain portions of the ADA to respond to certain judicial limitations on the act and secure greater protection in employment and public accommodations for disabled individuals. According to NAM President John Engler, "restoring the original intent of the ADA is a practical issue for employers who urgently need qualified workers to fill vacancies - and it's the right thing to do."
Passage of the ADA Restoration Act may have little practical effect in Washington State where, in 2007, the Legislature passed SB 5340 containing many similar protections. But passage of the federal compromise, in addition to being the right thing to do, would have the beneficial side effect of bringing Washington law into greater consistency with federal law.
