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Six U.S. Senators wrote to Attorney General Jeff Sessions last week, urging the Department of Justice to “help resolve uncertainty regarding website obligations and the American Disabilities Act (ADA).” The Senators emphasized that they “support the ADA and all it stands for. But for the ADA to be effective, it must be clear so that law abiding Americans can faithfully follow the law.”
The Senators expressed their concerns over how the ADA applies to credit union websites, claiming these often are the target of individuals using the lack of clarity in the rules and conflicting court opinions as an opportunity for personal gain. “When it comes to web accessibility standards, the ADA does not provide clear guidance to the public or regulated entities,” the letter reads. “This void in the law has led to unnecessary lawsuits in an effort to exploit the law’s ambiguity for financial gain with little or no corresponding benefit to consumers.”
Earlier this year, 103 members of Congress signed a letter, backed by CUNA, to Attorney General Jeff Sessions calling for the Department of Justice to issue website standards for compliance with the ADA. This was followed in July 2018 by Attorneys General from nineteen states who wrote to Attorney General Jeff Sessions requesting clarity for applying ADA compliance to websites.