From the National Council on Independent Living:
In September 2024, 17 states filed a court case against the United States government. The states want to get rid of Section 504. The case is called Texas v. Becerra.
Read the complaint (PDF) here.
Section 504 is an important law that protects people with disabilities from discrimination. Section 504 and its rules say that places like schools, hospitals, and doctors’ offices can’t discriminate if they get money from the United States government. If the court rules in favor of the states bringing the lawsuit, it would be very harmful to the disability community.
Section 504 and its rules are very important to the disability community. We need your help to save Section 504. If we lose Section 504, other civil rights laws could be in jeopardy too.
The states bringing the case are: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.
Take Action
If you live in one of the states that is bringing the case, you can take action by contacting your state Attorney General using NCIL’s Advocacy & Action Center.
- Ask them to drop out of the case Texas v. Becerra.
- Share a personal story about how 504 has impacted your life, such as an example of how you were harmed before 504 became law, or how you would have been harmed if it never became law.
Note: Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr and Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen cannot be contacted using the Advocacy & Action Center. Use this link to contact them directly.
If you do not live in one of the states that is bringing the case, you can take action by contacting your state Attorney General and asking them to submit an amicus brief on the importance of 504 for disabled people.
Resources
And finally, at this link you can:
- Find out how to contact your state Attorney General directly (targeted states only).
- Read a plain language explainer of the issue; and
- Access the archive of the February 12 Disability Community Briefing: What You Can Do to Stop the Attack on Section 504. The archive will be posted as soon as possible after the event concludes.
Reach out to Jessica@ncil.org with any questions.