[Federal Register: June 30, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 126)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Page 37055-37056]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr30jn08-32]
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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
28 CFR Parts 35 and 36
Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in State and Local
Government Services and Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability by
Public Accommodations and in Commercial Facilities; Hearing
AGENCY: Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division.
ACTION: Notice of hearing.
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SUMMARY: On June 17, 2008, the Department of Justice (Department)
published two Notices of Proposed Rulemaking in the Federal Register to
amend regulations issued under Titles II and III of the Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA). Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in
State and Local Government Services, 73 FR 34466; Nondiscrimination on
the Basis of Disability by Public Accommodations and in Commercial
Facilities, 73 FR 34508. In this issue of the Federal Register, the
Department published corrections for the proposed rules that included
two appendices inadvertently omitted from the June 17, 2008,
publication. In order to provide an opportunity for interested persons
to express their views directly to Department officials, the Department
will hold a public hearing in Washington, DC, on the proposed
regulatory amendments.
DATES: The public hearing is scheduled for July 15, 2008, 9 a.m. to 5
p.m., Eastern Daylight Time.
ADDRESSES: The hearing will be held at the Marriott Hotel at Metro
Center, 775 12th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20005, (202) 737-2200.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Linda Garrett, Civil Rights Program
Specialist, Disability Rights Section, Civil Rights Division at (202)
353-0423 (TTY). This is not a toll-free number. Information also may be
obtained from the Department's toll-free ADA Information Line at (800)
514-0301 (Voice) or (800) 514-0383 (TTY), 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, and 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. on
Thursday.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On June 17, 2008, the Department published
two Notices of Proposed Rulemaking to amend the Department's
regulations issued under Titles II and III of the ADA. Title II of the
ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the
activities of State and local governments, whereas Title III prohibits
discrimination in public accommodations and commercial facilities. The
Department has scheduled a public hearing on the proposed amendments in
order to provide an opportunity to interested persons, including
individuals with disabilities, to express their views about the
proposed changes. Entities, organizations, and individuals who wish to
present comments at the hearing are encouraged to register in advance
by calling the ADA Information Line at (800) 514-0301 (Voice) or (800)
514-0383 (TTY) by July 7, 2008. Organizations should designate no more
than one individual to speak on behalf of the organization. Commenters
who are not able to testify in person will have the option to present
their comments using a speaker telephone, telephone relay service, or
video relay service. The Department will attempt to provide an
approximate time for the receipt of comments from those who register in
advance; however, persons who register in advance should report to the
registration desk at the hearing at least one-half hour prior to their
scheduled time in order to confirm the time and order of their
presentations. Those who register to comment via speaker telephone,
telephone relay service, or video relay service should be available at
the number they provided during pre-registration at least one-half hour
before their scheduled time.
Some time at the hearing will be reserved for those who do not
register in advance. These persons may register on-site at the
registration desk, which will open one hour before the hearing is
scheduled to begin and will operate throughout the day. Time to make
their presentations will be assigned when open slots are available.
Comments will be limited to five minutes per person or
organization, but commenters who wish to may supplement their testimony
with written statements that will be made part of the official hearing
record. If the Department determines that there is not enough time to
hear from all those wishing to present comments, the Department will
select among those wishing to testify in order to ensure representation
of a range of viewpoints and interests. A laptop computer and
projection screen will be available for
[[Page 37056]]
commenters wishing to use a PowerPoint presentation in conjunction with
their testimony.
The hearing site will be accessible to individuals with
disabilities. Sign language interpreters, real-time captioning, and
assistive listening devices will be provided. Individuals who require
other accommodations, auxiliary aids, or foreign language translation
should contact Linda Garrett at (202) 353-0423 (TTY) or by e-mail at
Linda.Garrett@usdoj.gov no later than July 7, 2008. Additional
information, including information about accessible public
transportation and parking, will be available on the ADA Home Page at
archive.ada.gov. The proposed rules and the initial regulatory
impact analysis are available electronically in accessible formats at
www.regulations.gov and archive.ada.gov. This hearing notice
is available electronically in accessible formats at archive.ada.gov.
Copies of this notice also are available in formats
accessible to individuals who are blind or have low vision and may be
obtained by calling the ADA Information Line.
Those persons who are not able to participate in the public hearing
are encouraged to submit written comments electronically to www.regulations.gov
or by mail as follows: ADA NPRM, P.O. Box 2846,
Fairfax, VA 22031-0846. Overnight deliveries should be sent to the
Disability Rights Section, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of
Justice, located at 1425 New York Avenue, NW., Suite 4039, Washington,
DC 20005. All comments will be made available for public viewing online
at www.regulations.gov and must be received by August 18, 2008.
Dated: June 19, 2008.
Grace Chung Becker,
Acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights.
[FR Doc. E8-14306 Filed 6-27-08; 8:45 am]
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