2018 Virginia General Assembly
Legislative Highlights
January 25, 2018
The disAbility law Center of Virginia is monitoring developments in the legislature that may be of interest to people with disabilities. We are available to educate policymakers about the potential impact of legislative proposals.
There was one bill that sought to compromise the rights of all Virginians with disabilities. SB 199 (Sen. Bill DeSteph – Virginia Beach) would place limitations on when a person with a disability may bring an action under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The bill required the individual with a disability to give any business specific notice of violations, including the legal citation for the violation, and the exact dates and details of any denied access. The notice must identify all violations, even if the individual with disabilities could not gain enough access to the property to be able to identify all violations. Finally, the bill would allow the business 60 days to cure the violations prior to filing suit.
The bill was heard in Senate Courts of Justice on Wednesday, January 24th, with numerous disability advocacy groups speaking in opposition to the proposal. The lobbyist for the Virginia Apartment and Management Association and the Apartment and Office Building Association spoke in favor of the bill.
The bill was defeated by a vote of 5 to 10. The Senators who voted in favor of the bill are: Senator Mark Obenshain (Harrisonburg), Senator Thomas Norment (Williamsburg), Senator Ryan McDougle (Mechanicsville), Senator Bryce Reeves (Fredericksburg) and Senator Mark Peake (Richmond).
The mission of the disAbility Law Center of Virginia is to advance independence, choice and self-determination; protect legal, human and civil rights; and eliminate abuse, neglect and discrimination of people with disabilities through zealous and uncompromising legal advocacy and representation. All proposed bills are now available to the public on-line. Please let us know of any legislative proposals or budget issues that you think we should be following. Contact us at info@dlcv.org or by calling 1-800-552-3962 or 804-225-2042.