49 CFR Parts 37 and 38 -- Transportation for Individuals With Disabilities at Intercity, Commuter, and High Speed Passenger Railroad Station Platforms; Miscellaneous Amendments, Preamble

NPRM Proposal

The NPRM proposed codifying the existing coordination mechanism for issuing guidance and interpretations of disability laws and regulations throughout the Department of Transportation. Known as the DLCC, this group consists of representation from the Office of the Secretary, Federal Transit Administration, Federal Highway Administration, Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and Federal Railroad Administration. Before any guidance or interpretation documents developed by the DLCC are issued, they must be approved by the General Counsel on behalf of the Department of Transportation as a whole. This ensures that the Department speaks with one voice on important disability nondiscrimination issues.

The NPRM's proposal with respect to the DLCC is modeled on provisions in the Department's disadvantaged business enterprise (DBE) and drug and alcohol testing regulations, where similar mechanisms have worked well for many years. Like the Department's ADA and section 504 rules, these rules are Office of the Secretary regulations applying to parties subject to the programs of several DOT operating administrations.