
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, July 13, 1990                   TAG: 9007130280
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Medium

HOUSE OKS DISABILITIES ACT

The House passed landmark legislation on Thursday guaranteeing rights to millions of disabled Americans, including access to public transportation, businesses and jobs.

Approval of the Americans with Disabilities Act, by a 377-28 vote, came after House and Senate negotiators agreed on a way to protect the jobs of AIDS-infected workers who handle food.

Rep. William E. Dannemeyer, R-Calif., and others tried unsuccessfully to restore an amendment that would have let employers keep AIDS-infected workers away from food-handling duties.

The Senate will vote on the bill this morning, said Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, D-Maine.

President Bush has urged passage of the bill, which has been hailed as the most significant civil rights legislation since the 1964 act prohibiting racial discrimination.

"It is indeed a bill which will open up America to 43 million Americans who have been shut out, sometimes consciously, but too often subconsciously," said the chief sponsor, Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md.

Among the key provisions:

Restaurants, stores, professional offices and all other businesses must make their services available to people with disabilities, provided the cost of doing so is not excessive. The requirement takes effect 18 months after enactment, except for small businesses, which would have longer.

Businesses with 15 or more employees must disregard handicaps in hiring decisions and make special accommodations, at the employer's cost, for those disabilities. The accommodation is limited by the financial hardship it will cause for the company. The requirement will be phased in over four years.

Amtrak, commuter rail systems and local and intercity bus systems will have to provide areas for disabled passengers, including those in wheelchairs.

All telephone companies will have to provide special services for people with speech and hearing impairments.

Opponents of the bill, such as Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., complain it is vaguely worded and will "create a firestorm" of lawsuits at the expense of the economy.

All Virginia representatives except Jim Olin, D-Roanoke, and Herbert Bateman, R-Newport News, voted for the bill.

by CNB