BILL NUMBER: ACR 177INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Members Yamada and Chesbro JUNE 24, 2010 Relative to the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST ACR 177, as introduced, Yamada. 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This measure would recognize July 26, 2010, as the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and recommit the Legislature to efforts to reach full compliance with that act. Fiscal committee: no. WHEREAS, On July 26, 1990, President George H. Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to ensure the civil rights of persons with disabilities. This legislation established a clear and comprehensive national mandate for the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities; and WHEREAS, The ADA is the most comprehensive civil rights bill in history for persons with disabilities; and WHEREAS, The ADA guarantees equal opportunity and access for disabled Americans in public and private sector services, employment, and telecommunications; and WHEREAS, The "integration mandate" of the ADA, which requires public agencies to provide services in the most integrated setting appropriate to the needs of qualified individuals with disabilities, was upheld by the United States Supreme Court in the case of Olmstead v. L.C. ex. rel. Zimring (1999) 527 U.S. 581 (Olmstead decision); and WHEREAS, California's In-Home Supportive Services program, which allows over 430,000 low-income disabled senior and blind Californians to stay safely in their homes and avoid unnecessary, expensive, and unwanted institutionalization, is a nationally recognized program and is the foundation of California's efforts to comply with the Olmstead decision; and WHEREAS, The ADA has expanded opportunities for Californians with disabilities by reducing barriers, changing perceptions, and increasing their participation in community life. However, the full promise of ADA will only be reached if public entities remain committed in their efforts to fully implement the ADA; and WHEREAS, The State of California is enriched by the diversity and accomplishments of its citizens with disabilities; and WHEREAS, The 20th anniversary of the ADA is a milestone worthy of acknowledgment and celebration; now, therefore, be it Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes July 26, 2010, as the 20th anniversary of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act, that California's In-Home Supportive Services program is the cornerstone of California's compliance with that act, and that progress has been made to comply with the act, reaffirming the principles of equality and inclusion set forth in that act; and be it further Resolved, That the Legislature, in recognition of the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, recommits its efforts to reach full compliance with that act; and be it further Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.