Senate Democrats have formed a filibuster proof bloc of 43 Senators opposing a bill passed by the House in February that adds new provisions to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The group of Senators advised Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in a letter signed by all 43 this week that they will not allow a vote on H.R. 620. Known as the ADA Education and Reform Act, the legislation would amend the ADA by requiring that businesses be given details about alleged violations and sufficient time to acknowledge and cure the default before any private civil action could be initiated. Currently, the ADA provides no notice nor cure provisions. As a result, the number of lawsuits alleging violations has proliferated significantly over the past few years as unscrupulous attorneys send businesses letters threatening the filing of an ADA lawsuit unless the business agrees to a settlement, whether a violation exists or not! Fighting the bogus lawsuit would likely cost over $10,000, so the attorneys seek settlements in the $5000 – $8000 range. Often, attorneys do not even visit the business they are threatening, but rather find them online or assume certain industries have ADA violations, hence the “drive-by” nickname. In fact, since October 2017, one plaintiff firm has filed more than 100 website-related ADA complaints in the US District Court for New York alone!