[nfb-talk] H.R. 3985 the over the road bus transportation accessibility Act of 2007

[cheryl echevarria]

This may be a repeat for some of you, but I just got this information from my guide dog school so I thought I would share.

JFA Daily
 H.R.3985, The Over-the-Road Bus Transportation Accessibility Act of 2007
Disability organizations and advocates are encouraged to support H.R. 3985,
The Over-the-Road Bus Transportation Accessibility Act of 2007. This
bill would address the problem of private intercity bus companies without
stations, known as curbside carriers, that ignore the ADA. These companies,
which
use high-floor "over-the-road" buses and offer budget fares along the
Eastern seaboard and across the country, do not provide accessible buses and
have
frequently discriminated against people with disabilities in other
violations of the ADA by, for example, denying transportation to blind
people with guide
dogs or requiring them to sit in the last row of the bus.
HR 3985 would require the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
(FMCSA), the office at DOT that licenses and regulates privately-operated
bus carriers,
to fully consider ADA compliance when it grants and revokes operating
authority to passenger motor carriers. FMCSA has repeatedly stated that it
won't,
or can't, consider ADA compliance in its licensing decisions, despite a US
Court of Appeals decision from the DC Circuit last year asking DOT to do so.
(Peter Pan Bus Lines, Inc., et al v. Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration, No. 05-1436, U.S. Court of Appeals, DC Circuit, December 19,
2006)
HR 3985 does not amend the ADA, but rather, amends the law that gives FMCSA
its authority, adding the DOT ADA regulation (Part 37) to the list of items
FMCSA must consider in granting and revoking operating authority. It also
requires FMCSA implementation in 30 days and a coordinated enforcement
agreement
between FMCSA and the Department of Justice in six months.
This bill is available
online
 and was passed unanimously on October 31 by the House Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee.

Cheryl Echevarria
NFB of NY/Long Island Chapter
skype: angeldn38
windows live messenger: cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com<mailto:cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com>
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This may be a repeat for some of you, but I just got this information from my guide dog school so I thought I would share.
 
JFA Daily
 H.R.3985, The Over-the-Road Bus Transportation Accessibility Act of 2007
Disability organizations and advocates are encouraged to support H.R. 3985,
The Over-the-Road Bus Transportation Accessibility Act of 2007. This
bill would address the problem of private intercity bus companies without
stations, known as curbside carriers, that ignore the ADA. These companies,
which
use high-floor "over-the-road" buses and offer budget fares along the
Eastern seaboard and across the country, do not provide accessible buses and
have
frequently discriminated against people with disabilities in other
violations of the ADA by, for example, denying transportation to blind
people with guide
dogs or requiring them to sit in the last row of the bus.
HR 3985 would require the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
(FMCSA), the office at DOT that licenses and regulates privately-operated
bus carriers,
to fully consider ADA compliance when it grants and revokes operating
authority to passenger motor carriers. FMCSA has repeatedly stated that it
won't,
or can't, consider ADA compliance in its licensing decisions, despite a US
Court of Appeals decision from the DC Circuit last year asking DOT to do so.
(Peter Pan Bus Lines, Inc., et al v. Federal Motor Carrier Safety
Administration, No. 05-1436, U.S. Court of Appeals, DC Circuit, December 19,
2006)
HR 3985 does not amend the ADA, but rather, amends the law that gives FMCSA
its authority, adding the DOT ADA regulation (Part 37) to the list of items
FMCSA must consider in granting and revoking operating authority. It also
requires FMCSA implementation in 30 days and a coordinated enforcement
agreement
between FMCSA and the Department of Justice in six months.
This bill is available
online
 and was passed unanimously on October 31 by the House Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee.
Cheryl Echevarria
NFB of NY/Long Island Chapter
skype: angeldn38
windows live messenger: mailto:cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com cherylandmaxx at hotmail.com