Press Releases

Washington, DC – U.S. Rep. Marc Molinaro (NY-19) today announced the Think DIFFERENTLY Transportation Act was voted out of the House Committee on Transportation & Infrastructure and will advance to the House Floor. This bill compels Amtrak to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and builds off Rep. Molinaro’s nationally recognized ‘Think DIFFERENTLY’ initiative, which breaks down barriers for individuals with disabilities. Rep. Molinaro introduced the bill with U.S. Reps. Donald Payne Jr. (D-NJ-10), Troy Nehls (R-TX-22), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Jenniffer Gonzales-Colon (R-PR), Chris Pappas (D-NH-1), and Andre Carson (D-IN-7) and has a total of 15 cosponsors.

The ADA passed in 1990 and established a 20-year timeframe for intercity rail stations to be accessible to those with disabilities. From 2017 to 2021, Amtrak received $275 million in federal funds for accessibility upgrades and continues to receive near this amount through 2025. However, as of July 2023, Amtrak has only made 30% of its 385 stations accessible to those with disabilities.

Specifically, Rep. Molinaro’s bill compels Amtrak to address the dire need for accessibility upgrades by directing the agency to commission a report to Congress on its ADA compliance for all its trains and rail stations. The report also requires Amtrak to provide a deadline for when the upgrades will be completed by. 

Rep. Molinaro said, "Thirty years after the Americans with Disabilities Act passed – Amtrak’s leadership still has work to do to meet the law and make trains and rail stations accessible to individuals of all disabilities. My bipartisan bill forces the issue, and I am thankful to this committee for sending it to the House Floor."