Assembly legislation strengthens protections for New Yorkers with disabilities

Assemblyman Frank Skartados (D-Milton) announced he helped pass several pieces of legislation to help make New York safer and more just for people with disabilities. The bills were passed in recognition of Legislative Disabilities Awareness Day on May 22.

“As an elected official, it’s my duty to ensure that members of our community living with disabilities are equally protected,” Skartados said. “This legislation helps give a stronger voice to New Yorkers with disabilities and ensures they’re treated with the respect and dignity they deserve.”

Skartados helped pass legislation to improve the quality of life for people living with disabilities, including measures to clarify that reasonable housing accommodations for individuals with disabilities include the use of a service animal and to establish the New York State Interagency Coordinating Council for Service-disabled Veterans (A.7283, A.5931). The council would be tasked with linking service-disabled veterans to critical state and local resources and support services.

Skartados also helped pass a measure to grant equal protection to state employees under the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 and the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (A.2546). The measure also allows state employees with disabilities to sue the state for violation of these laws. Further, the Assembly passed a bill requiring owners of high-rise buildings to have emergency evacuation plans in place for residents and visitors with disabilities – an especially critical measure for those with limited mobility (A.6287). The measure would help emergency personnel locate residents in the event of an emergency and ensure no one is left behind, Skartados noted.

“New Yorkers with disabilities shouldn’t feel overlooked or forgotten,” Skartados said. “They deserve the chance to live independently and have their needs met in their own neighborhoods, and I’ll always fight to make that happen.”