March 30, 1998

Richard Roehm
(Address Snipped)

The Honorable Loretta Sanchez
United States House of Representatives
Washington, D.C.  20515-0546

RE : H.R. 1544
     Proposed amendment to H.R. 2400 

Dear Representative Sanchez:

Last Wednesday the House approved bill H.R. 1544, The Federal Agency Compliance 
Act. If passed into law by the full Congress, the bill would require the Social
Security Administration and all federal agencies to follow established law and
precedent of the U.S. Courts of Appeals instead of their own agency policy.  I am
pleased that Congress is taking a step in the direction of getting the Social 
Security Administration to start treating disabled people as disabled not as crooks.  
I have seen many disabled people including a friend of mine lose everything they 
have while waiting for appeals that takes years.  Your continued support for this 
bill is vital in it's path all the way to the President's desk. 

Now I need to advise you of a rumor that's spreading around in the disability
community that Congressman Bud Shuster, Chair of the House Transportation 
Committee plans to amend the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and completely
exempt Greyhound and other Over the Road Bus companies from the ADA and would 
pre-empt any regulations from the Department of Transportation.  This amendment 
might be tacked on during the mark up of the "Building Efficient Surface 
Transportation and Equity Act (BESTEA: HR 2400)"  I know very well that Bud Shuster 
is practically married to Greyhound, and has long been an enemy of accessible transit.
I need you to prevent this from happeneing.  Such an amendment giving a particular
company exemptions from ADA would be considered an attack on ADA as other companies
will want the same exemptions from the ADA responsibilities as well.  I am asking
you to oppose Representative Shuster's proposal to amend H.R. 2400 in a fashion that
weakens ADA so that the disabled people can ride the buses like Greyhound.

The disability community is one of the largest and most underrepresented groups in 
the State as well in the nation.

Thank you very much for your time to read this letter and I anticipate your support.

Sincerely,

Richard Roehm