Summary
Makes Amtrak report to Congress on how it is making its trains and stations easy to use for people with disabilities.
What problem does this solve?
It is difficult to know if Amtrak is making its stations and trains accessible for people with disabilities as required by law. This act requires Amtrak to create and share a public plan and regular updates on its progress to fix these issues.
Who does this affect?
- People with disabilities
- Amtrak
What does this law do?
Requires a detailed action plan
Adds a rule that Amtrak must create and share an action plan for making all of its stations compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Mandates specific status reports
Requires Amtrak to report the specific ADA compliance status for every station it serves. The report must say who is responsible for making fixes at each station.
Sets a reporting schedule
Makes Amtrak submit its accessibility reports every year while its 2020 legal settlement is active, and then every five years after that.
What is the real world impact?
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Increases public accountability for Amtrak
Forces Amtrak to regularly report its progress on accessibility to Congress. This makes its actions public and puts pressure on the company to follow through on its legal agreement to make stations and trains accessible for everyone.
When does this start?
This law contains multiple deadlines for when reports must be submitted.
Annual reporting period
Amtrak must submit its action plan and status report every year as long as the 2020 settlement agreement with the Department of Justice is in effect.