Rep. McColley Applauds Passage of Legislation Urging Congress to Pass Reforms to ADA

State Representative Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) today applauded the Ohio House passage of a resolution that urges the United States Congress to pass updates and reforms to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA).

House Concurrent Resolution 32 specifically implores Congress to pass the ADA Education and Reform Act of 2015. The reforms come in response to misuse of the act, which was originally enacted to protect the rights of people with disabilities.

Throughout the United States, individuals have been sending predatory demand letters to small businesses under the auspices of the ADA. The letters are not sent to businesses to request that violations be fixed, but instead threaten businesses into settling for large sums of money. Some that are abusing the ADA in this manner are sending hundreds of demand letters a year.

"I believe it is important that we continue to allow Americans with disabilities to be given the ability to lead normal lives, which is what the ADA was meant to accomplish,” Rep. McColley said. “However, it is a clear abuse of our judicial system for individuals to threaten, harass, and intimidate businesses into paying into abusive 'get rich quick' schemes while hiding behind the protections of the ADA."

The ADA Education and Reform Act of 2015 would reform the ADA to require notice and an opportunity to cure potential violations before a lawsuit could be filed.

HCR 32 will now head to the Ohio Senate for further consideration.