Modify ADA, IDEA

[Karen Ozmun]

this message was pulled out from a bulletin to a listserv based at gallaudet 
university.

           Modify ADA, IDEA, Says Advisory Commission 

     According to reports in Friday's Washington Post and the
Washington Times, the federal Advisory Commission on
Intergovernmental Relations has recommended the repeal or
modification of 14 unfunded federal mandates that burden state
and local governments. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are 
among the laws targeted for modification.

     The commission was established under the Unfunded Mandates
Reform Act. State and local governments identified over 200
federal laws that they felt were particularly burdensome, and the
commission reviewed these laws for streamlining or elimination.

     The commission will recommend that the ADA, IDEA, the
Endangered Species Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Clean
Air Act, and the Davis-Bacon Act be modified. Laws earmarked for
repeal include the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Family and
Medical Leave Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and
laws related to drug and alcohol testing in the workplace.

     Says the preliminary report, released during a press
conference Thursday, "In recent years, the Washington tendency
has been to treat as a national issue any problem that is
emotional, hot, and highly visible. Often, this has meant passing
a federal law that imposes costs and requirements on state and
local governments without their consent and without regard for
their ability to comply."

     Philadelphia mayor Edward Rendell, a member of the
commission, said Philadelphia is using about one-fourth of its
street repair budget to pay for ADA-required modifications, such
as an estimated 320,000 curbcuts to enable people who use
wheelchairs to cross streets. This cost $180 million over two
years when the city's entire capital budget was only $125
million. 

     Said Rendell, "The ADA is a mess. It's a great act, with
great goals, but it's a mess . . . we must do curb cuts on rural
streets where there are no sidewalks. If it's the sense of
Congress and the president that they want absolutely immediate
compliance, then [they should] pay for it."

     Recommendations will be open to public comment until March
15. The final report will be submitted to the President and
Congress in March.

           (contributed by Michael A. Yared on DEAF-L)