President Bush Signs Legislation Expanding the Americans with Disabilities Act

On September 25, President Bush signed into law the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA or the Act), which passed both the House and Senate with bipartisan and near-unanimous support. The legislation had the approval of both the disabled and business communities.

The new law, which becomes effective January 1, 2009, overturns several recent Supreme Court rulings that had limited the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and as a result wipes out several employer defenses to ADA claims. Thus, the ADAAA is expected to alter in a major way how employers handle disability issues both in the workplace and in litigation.

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