Industry News

ADA Accessibility Guidelines Revision Delayed

Jan. 29, 2009

Revisions to the ADA Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) - the regulatory implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) - proposed by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), and eagerly anticipated by Washington, D.C.-based BOMA Intl. and other stakeholders, have now been delayed. Late last year, the DOJ, under former President Bush, announced its intention to finalize the proposed rulemaking before they left office this month; however, the proposed ADAAG revisions now pending at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will be withdrawn pursuant to instructions to put all pending regulations on hold until a review can be completed by the Obama Administration. This blanket hold on pending regulations is a common practice during a change in Administration. The new Administration has a number of options, including finalizing the rule as currently drafted, making substantive changes to the proposed regulations, or seeking additional public comment. BOMA will continue to monitor the situation, but it's unclear as to when the rulemaking process will resume.