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The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) announced support for bipartisan pool lift legislation (H.R. 4256) introduced by Congressman Mick Mulvaney (R-SC) titled, "Pool Safety and Accessibility for Everyone (Pool SAFE) Act." The bill has 26 original co-sponsors.
The bill would provide a one year delay for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) pool lift requirement, allow the use of portable lifts, allow sharing of lifts between pools, and protect hoteliers from being sued during the delay period.
“Congressman Mulvaney’s legislation achieves the dual goal of safety and access,” said AH&LA President/CEO Joe McInerney. “Portable lifts will allow hoteliers to protect guest safety, while accommodating guests with disabilities. The delay will allow hoteliers the time to implement the necessary changes without the fear of lawsuits.”
AH&LA has pushed for these common-sense solutions to the ADA pool lift requirement since the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued its incredibly late Jan. 31, 2012, reinterpretation of the 2010 ADA Standards. DOJ’s reinterpretation required hoteliers to install a permanent lift with less than two months until the implementation deadline.
On March 15, 2012, the White House issued a 60-day extension to the pool lift compliance date and DOJ published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking with a 15-day comment period on a possible six-month extension in order to allow additional time to address misunderstandings regarding compliance with these ADA requirements.
AH&LA is meeting with the White House today to discuss the confusion resulting from DOJ’s Jan. 31 reinterpretation and will point to Congressman Mulvaney’s legislation, as well as the bipartisan letters of support from over 120 members of Congress.
While AH&LA has sought a common-sense solution to the pool lift issue, the lodging industry is supportive of the numerous provisions of the ADA that took effect March 15, 2012. Hoteliers are committed to complying with Americans with Disabilities Act and serving the needs of the disability community.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
