U.S. House of Representatives Holds Hearing on ADA Legislation
The U.S. House Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice convened a hearing to analyze a series of proposals that amend the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to deter the practice of “drive-by” lawsuits. The Committee heard from Congressmen Ted Poe (R-Texas) and Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), who have both introduced ADA legislation, and then from a group of business owners and experts who have dealt with the issue firsthand. From the start, members of the committee agreed that any piece of new legislation should aim to deter anyone from taking advantage of the ADA for financial gain. However, some of the comments made by the panelists and committee members made it clear that there is still significant misinformation surrounding these types of lawsuits and their effects on well-intentioned business owners. You can watch the hearing and read the written testimony online.
BOMA’s advocacy team continues to work with a coalition of business groups to educate members of Congress on this issue. If you have a story about an ADA lawsuit that may help with this process, please contact BOMA International’s Manager of Advocacy, Dylan Isenberg, at disenberg@boma.org.
911 Testing Begins in Commercial Buildings
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued new rules designed to improve location accuracy for 911 calls made from wireless phones. These rules require wireless providers to establish a “test bed” to determine how deployed and emerging location technologies perform indoors. As a result, tests now must be conducted in multiple buildings of different construction types and sizes. The FCC’s goal is to increase accuracy to within 50 meters of the wireless caller’s location.
A small number of residential and office high-rise buildings in San Francisco and Atlanta have been selected for the initial testing. The costs of any necessary technology advancements are being absorbed by the large wireless providers; building owners are not required to make any infrastructure improvements but may need to provide access to their buildings for testing.
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