[DATE]
[Senator Name]
United States Senate
[Office Building]
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Senator [Senator Name]:
This letter is to oppose the ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017, which passed the House on February 15th. I ask that you ensure that a Senate version of this bill does not happen or, in the event that a Senate version is brought to the floor, to vote NO. That bill would limit my civil rights and my ability to access businesses and other places in the same way all other citizens do. It has been 28 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed, and every place should be accessible to me now.
If I am denied access to a business or other place, the ADA protects me now. However, this bill would remove this protection when I go to a business or other place and am denied access. I would have to send a letter notifying the business owner or host of any place that I was denied access and explain how my access was denied.
Would you want to go to a bank, a restaurant, or a hospital, and be told that you could not get in until you first send a letter explaining to these facilities why they are not accessible and give them time to find a way to let you into their facility? I definitely do not want to wait to be able to access a bank, a restaurant, and especially a hospital!
If this bill passes, those businesses and other places that are not yet accessible will not comply with the ADA until someone sends a letter explaining why they are not accessible. These businesses and other places should already be accessible 28 years after the ADA passed.
In some states where there are numerous lawsuits against small business owners, the problem is not the ADA but the state law that enable unscrupulous attorneys to take advantage of these owners. These states should address the problems with these attorneys, and the ADA should be left alone. I ask that you preserve my federal rights and put pressure on the relevant states to stop these unprofessional attorneys instead.
My rights depend on the ADA without being modified by this horrendous bill. I ask that you oppose all ADA notification bills that are introduced going forward.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]