Committee advances bill to centralize state ADA reporting in Department of Health office

Representative Cates presented House Bill 295 to the Senate Finance Committee. The bill would create a Community Inclusion and Equality division within the Department of Health to collect centralized accessibility data from state ADA coordinators (roughly 800 sites overseen by General Services Department), produce an annual report for legislative budget and health committees, and provide a single public reporting mechanism.

Public comment at the hearing was mixed. Some advocates said centralized reporting would give legislators better data for budget decisions and improve service delivery. Other ADA coordinators and a certified ADA coordinator who testified opposed the bill without enforcement mechanisms and questioned whether the Department of Health is the appropriate host; they recommended improving existing structures (Governor's Commission on Disability, AG complaint mechanisms) rather than creating a new office.

The committee considered and adopted an amendment that removed an initial appropriation (DOH indicated it could absorb start-up costs for the first year). Senators debated whether GSD or DOH is the better host and whether the bill would create an unnecessary silo. The committee adopted the amendment and later recommended 'do pass' for the amended bill by recorded vote.