On September 17th, the United States House of Representatives passed the Senate version of the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act (“ADAA”). The bill has now been sent to President Bush, who states that he will sign it. The amendments reflect the broadest changes to the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) since its enactment in 1990.
The ADAA sets aside certain decisions of the U.S. Supreme Court, which limited the scope of the ADA. As a result of the ADAA, more employees and impairments will be covered by the ADA. In addition to the greater protections given to employees, the final version of the ADAA contained certain provisions in favor of employers.
Once the ADAA is signed into law by President Bush, we will provide a summary of its provisions, which bring the ADA closer to the protections offered by the New York State and New York City anti-discrimination statutes.