[Nfbf-l] Fw: Department of Justice Announcements

[TaraPrakash]

Department of Justice Announcements
----- Original Message ----- 
From: White House Disability Group 
To: ttripathi at knights.ucf.edu 
Sent: Monday, March 28, 2011 2:26 PM
Subject: Department of Justice Announcements


Please circulate the below two announcements from the Department of Justice related to voter registration and transportation.

Justice Department Reaches Agreement with Rhode Island on Voter Registration at Public Assistance and Disability Offices


WASHINGTON – The Justice Department announced today that it has reached an agreement with Rhode Island officials to ensure that all public assistance and disability services offices in Rhode Island offer voter registration services to their clients.  The agreement is necessary to bring Rhode Island into compliance with the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA).


The agreement was filed in conjunction with a lawsuit by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division alleging that Rhode Island violated federal law by failing to provide voter registration services at all public assistance offices and all offices that provide state-funded programs primarily aimed at persons with disabilities.


Congress enacted the NVRA in 1993 in part to enhance citizen participation in elections by making voter registration opportunities available at offices that provide essential services, like public assistance and disability services.


“The voting process begins with registration, and it is essential that all citizens have unfettered access to voter registration opportunities,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.  “I am pleased that officials in Rhode Island worked cooperatively with the Justice Department to reach this agreement, which will ensure that all citizens who apply for public assistance or disability services in Rhode Island will be able to register to vote as easily and conveniently as possible.” 


The two-year agreement, if approved by the district court, commits Rhode Island to undertake a variety of measures, including offering voter registration opportunities to all applicants for public assistance, WIC, rehabilitative services, developmental disabilities services and mental health services; distributing voter registration applications in public assistance and disability services offices and via mail; training employees on NVRA compliance; conducting regular internal compliance audits; and reporting the number of voter registration applications processed by public assistance and disability service offices.  In the event compliance is not achieved within two years, the agreement will continue until compliance is reached.


More information about the NVRA and other federal voting laws is available on the Department of Justice website at www.justice.gov/crt/about/vot/.  Complaints about discriminatory voting practices may be reported to the Voting Section of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division at 1-800-253-3931.



Justice Department Fines Houston Bus Company $55,000 for Violating the ADA


WASHINGTON – A Houston bus company was fined $55,000 for violating passenger carrier accessibility requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), announced the Departments of Justice and Transportation.  In addition to the fine, a consent agreement reached with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Justice Department requires Autobuses Ejecutivos LLC dba Omnibus Express to upgrade its fleet to meet ADA requirements by July 2011 or have its operating authority revoked.


An extensive investigation conducted by FMCSA uncovered that Omnibus Express was operating a fleet of 85 leased buses, and none were equipped with wheelchair lifts.  In the past 12 months, the bus company leased 22 new buses that were not accessible to individuals with disabilities.  ADA regulations require that at least 50 percent of a carrier’s buses be accessible, and that all new buses leased or purchased be accessible by individuals with disabilities.


“Equal access to transportation is at the cornerstone of autonomous and independent living, and this agreement demonstrates the strong commitment both the Justice Department and the Department of Transportation have to joint enforcement of the requirements that transportation be accessible to all,” said Thomas E. Perez, Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Rights Division.  “We will continue to vigorously enforce these requirements to ensure individuals with disabilities have equal access as guaranteed by the ADA.”


“Every day, thousands of people rely on motorcoaches and other types of commercial passenger buses to travel where they need to go safely and efficiently,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro.  “We owe it to the traveling public to make sure commercial buses are safe and accessible for everyone.”  


In February 2009, FMCSA and the Justice Department entered into a memorandum of understanding concerning the enforcement of commercial passenger buses. The memorandum between the two agencies was included in the Over-the-Road Bus Transportation Accessibility Act of 2007, and is designed to ensure consistent ADA enforcement nationwide.     


More information about the Civil Rights Division and the laws it enforces is available at www.justice.gov/crt <http://www.justice.gov/crt>  .  The consent agreement with Omnibus Express can be found at www.fmcsa.dot.gov/documents/ABOUT/News/Omnibus-ConsentAgreement-508.PDF .



###



-----

Unsubscribe

The White House · 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW · Washington DC 20500 · 202-456-1111