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ADA bill passes House, offers NAFCU-sought website relief
After months of NAFCU engagement on Capitol Hill, the House yesterday passed NAFCU-supported legislation to address public accessibility concerns under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Ahead of passage, lawmakers on the House floor clarified their intentions to address websites in the bill following NAFCU-led efforts.
The bill passed on a 225-192 vote; it now heads to the Senate for consideration.
NAFCU has worked closely with the bill's sponsor Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., to get relief on website accessibility demand letters.
"NAFCU would like to thank Reps. Poe and [Rob] Woodall and Chairman Goodlatte for listening to credit unions' concerns about unclear guidance under the ADA as it relates to website accessibility," said NAFCU President and CEO Dan Berger. "This confusion has led to plaintiffs' attorneys targeting credit unions with meritless lawsuits, hindering the ability of credit unions to meet their members' needs.
"NAFCU and our members strongly support the protections of the ADA and efforts to ensure individuals with disabilities are not discriminated against and have equal access to financial services. We have maintained that this is best achieved through clear guidance and standards for website compliance, not through meritless and costly lawsuits. We appreciate the representatives who realized this challenge and sought to clarify it by supporting this bill."
The ADA Education and Reform Act (H.R. 620) would set conditions for filing civil actions over the failure to remove an architectural barrier to an existing public place by giving businesses time to come into compliance before a lawsuit can proceed, among other things.
During discussion on the bill, Poe and Woodall, R-Ga., had a colloquy on the House floor to discuss website accessibility and asserted that in districts where the courts have determined that ADA applies to websites, H.R. 620 would also apply. This conversation clarified the congressional intent of the legislation and would allow those receiving demand letters related to website accessibility to have time to come into compliance. Poe and Woodall also indicated they would work with the Department of Justice to further clarify the issue.
NAFCU has engaged with lawmakers for months to try to expand some of the bill's protections to help curb the meritless lawsuits filed against credit unions for website accessibility under the ADA. Just last week, Berger met with Goodlatte to discuss the issue and how Congress can get involved to help credit unions.
Resources for dealing with the ADA issue, including an updated FAQ document, can be found here.
Related Resources
Add to Calendar 2019-11-14 14:00:00 2019-11-14 14:00:00 What’s New and What’s Next with NAFCU’s Regulatory Affairs Team Prepare your credit union for the evolving regulatory landscape. Hear firsthand from the experts what's new coming out of Washington with NAFCU's Regulatory Affairs team! They'll provide you with an update on recent developments at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), as well as other regulators. The team will also touch on what's coming next, including anticipated rulemakings that will affect your credit union. Key Takeaways: Review the NCUA’s latest efforts to modernize the capital framework for credit unions Discuss the recent CECL delay and the NCUA’s potential phase-in of the new accounting standard Walk through administrative and legislative efforts to reform the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Understand the potential impact of changes to the CFPB’s Qualified Mortgage definition and the expiration of the GSE Patch Learn how to participate in the recent innovation-related policies from the CFPB Register Now Registration is free for members, but you must register to attend.$395 Nonmembers (Additional $50 for CD) One registration gives your entire team access to the live webinar and on-demand recording until November 14, 2020Already registered? Go to the Online Training Center to view. Who Should Attend? NAFCU Certified Compliance Officers (NCCOs) NAFCU Certified Risk Managers (NCRMs) NAFCU Certified Volunteer Experts (NCVE) Presidents, Chief Executive Officers Executive Vice Presidents Credit Union attorneys Credit Union counsels Board members and Board Chairs Compliance staff Risk staff Education Credits NCCOs will receive 1.5 CEUs for participating in this webinar. NCRMs will receive 1.5 CEUs for participating in this webinar. NCVEs will receive 1.5 CEUs for participating in this webinar. CPA credit information is below; recommended 1.5 CPE credits. CPA Certification Credit Information Reviewer: Josie Collins, Associate Director of Education, NAFCU Learning Objectives: Review the NCUA’s latest efforts to modernize the capital framework for credit unions. Discuss the recent CECL delay and the NCUA’s potential phase-in of the new accounting standard. Walk through administrative and legislative efforts to reform the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs), Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Understand the potential impact of changes to the CFPB’s Qualified Mortgage definition and the expiration of the GSE Patch. Learn how to participate in the recent innovation-related policies from the CFPB. Program Level: Basic Prerequisites Needed: None Advance Preparation Needed: None Delivery Method: Group Internet-Based Recommended CPE Credits: 1.5 credits Recommended Field of Study: Regulatory Ethics - Technical National Association of Federal Credit Unions (NAFCU) is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. Learn more. About Our Webinars Our webinars are streamed live from NAFCU headquarters near Washington, D.C. Your audio/video feed of the presenters includes presentation slides and downloadable handouts. You can easily submit your questions to the presenters at any time during the live broadcast, with no dialing over the phone! The audio and video stream directly through your computer. Web NAFCU digital@nafcu.org America/New_York public
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