The final day for legislators to submit bills is this Friday, January 19th. Because it can take a few days for legislative services to get the drafts cleaned up and in proper form, we can expect to see new bills appear for another ten days or so. If you know of something you think we should be watching, please let us know at ga@dlcv.org or info@dlcv.org or by calling 1-800-552-3962 or 1-804-225-2042.
Please check back here regularly as we learn or more bills impacting disability rights. The disAbility Law Center of Virginia is available to educate policymakers about the potential impact of these and other legislative proposals.
The legislature is considering a bill to strengthen the Virginians with Disabilities Act. HB 1165 (Sickles) bill adds definitions to state law to align it more closely with the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act. The bill defines “path of travel,” “place of public accommodation,” “public entity,” “private entity,” and “readily achievable.” The bill requires places of public accommodation to ensure that barriers to accessibility, including along a path of travel, are removed when the removal is readily achievable. The bill has not yet been assigned to a committee, but we expect it will be heard in the House Committee on Health and Human Resources.
Our mission 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.