Rep. Scott PetersVerified account

A few bad actors are abusing the ADA, exploiting this landmark civil rights law for personal financial gain. No one disputes this abuse is happening or says this increases access.

A small restaurant in downtown San Diego tells this story: It was sued by a lawyer who had filed 50 ADA suits against San Diego Country restaurants in one year. Though no violations existed, proving it in court would have cost $50,000 or more, So they paid $2,500 to settle.

The only winner was the lawyer who was filing the same cookie cutter lawsuit all around town.

We hear these stories all the time-- lawsuits being settled without violations being fixed--so much, that state governments have acted to curb this abuse. CA Democrats have led this fight.

SB 269 was authored by a Democratic State Senator, passed by a Democratic majority legislature, and signed into law by Governor Brown in 2016.

The bipartisan CA bill: gives business 120 days to fix violations educates business owners on compliance redirects payouts toward improving access protects against serial lawsuits

Today we provided the same corrections at the federal level. Let me be clear: this bill does not shield businesses or public accommodations from complying with the ADA. Here's the breakdown:

This bill will not turn anyone into a second class citizen. This bill extends "notice and cure" requirements that already apply to other civil rights laws.