Casey wants to make technology more accessible to people with disabilities

July 28 – WILKES-BARRE – U.S. Senator. Bob CaseyThe new Section 508 Refresh Act requires federal agencies to take several steps to ensure that people with disabilities can use federal technology, including websites.

While Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires federal technology to be accessible to people with disabilities, a 2022 investigation by Senator Casey found the agency’s technology still falls short

“We wouldn’t ask someone in a wheelchair to walk up the steps of the courthouse, but we do something similar when we ask people with disabilities to use federal websites, apps, kiosks and other technologies that aren’t accessible,” said Casey, D-Scranton.

Senator Casey, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging; Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Chairman of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee; Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) introduced the Section 508 Refresh Act, a new bill that would require federal agencies to take a series of steps to ensure that people with disabilities can use federal government technology.

While Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires government agencies to make federal technology accessible, a 2022 Senate Aging Committee investigation led by Chairman Casey found that technology across departments and agencies, particularly within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), often falls short of compliance.

In the study, Casey showed how these accessibility shortcomings created barriers for people with disabilities who rely on federal technology for essential services, including health care, employment services, and Social Security benefits.

Casey’s new bill makes the first major changes to Section 508 since 1998, creating a framework to hold government agencies accountable for accessibility requirements.

“The federal government has an obligation to ensure that its services are accessible to people with disabilities, including its websites and technology,” said Chairman Casey. I am introducing the Section 508 Refresh Act to force federal agencies to make their technology accessible and ensure that people with disabilities are not excluded from essential government services and resources.”

“It is clear that the federal government is not doing enough to ensure that services are accessible to people with disabilities,” said Senator Fetterman. “People with disabilities deserve better. By updating Section 508, this bill would implement long-overdue requirements to ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to federal government services. I am proud to co-sponsor it.”

Congress made the last significant changes to Section 508 in 1998, when many federal agencies were just beginning to use the Internet, posting content online and allowing all government employees to use computers.

The Section 508 Refresh Act will implement long-awaited updates to the law. Specifically, the bill will:

—Requires Federal departments and agencies to involve people with disabilities who use government services and information or who work as government employees in the acquisition and accessibility testing of Federal technology.

—Reform the Section 508 complaint process and establish a new process for determining what federal technology is purchased — with strict accountability requirements to ensure the technology is accessible.

— Require regular testing to ensure that technology used by federal departments and agencies is accessible to federal employees and all Americans who use federal programs and information.

— Direct each federal department and agency to designate qualified, dedicated Section 508 compliance officers to ensure that the technology purchased and used by their departments and agencies is accessible.

PA Turnpike warns smishing scams on the rise again

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) reports that another smishing scam message is being sent to random individuals, designed to trick them into sharing their personal financial information to settle outstanding toll charges.

The texts appear to come from “Pennsylvania Turnpike Toll Services” and concern urgent requests to the account holder, which would result in additional charges if the outstanding balance was not paid.

Similar scams have been reported by toll services across the country in recent days.

People who receive an unsolicited text, email, or similar message suggesting it is from the PA Turnpike or another toll agency should not click on the link. E-ZPass account holders and Toll By Plate customers can use approved secure methods to verify their accounts, such as the official PA Turnpike E-ZPass website or the PA Toll Pay app available in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

Those who receive a fraudulent text can file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at — www.ic3.gov. It’s a site dedicated to sharing information about Internet crimes among law enforcement agencies.

For more information on ways to protect yourself from scams, visit — Security & Fraud — PA Turnpike.

PA Turnpike to implement tolls for eastern public roads

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has officially announced plans to convert the toll system east of Reading and on the Northeast Extension to Open Road Tolling (ORT) in January 2025.

With this celebration, we conclude 15 years of existence, in which we have continued to meet customer expectations for safe, easy and seamless travel even better.

“The advent of Open Road Tolling will improve safety and ensure the safe flow of vehicle traffic across our network. Pennsylvania is America’s Great Getaway and Open Road Tolling will bring traveling citizens safely and efficiently to destinations throughout our great Commonwealth,” said PA Turnpike Chairman and PennDOT Secretary Michael Carroll. “It’s a great day in Pennsylvania and another great step forward for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission.”

In an ORT system, tolls are collected electronically as customers drive at freeway speeds without slowing down or stopping under overhead structures — called gantries — that are located between interchanges. Equipment on the gantry and in the roadway processes E-ZPass or Toll-By-Plate transactions.

Other than properly installing an E-ZPass transponder, customers don’t need to do anything else to prepare for the launch.

“In January, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will once again solidify itself as a national leader in transportation when we bring the future of tolling to Pennsylvania through Open Road Tolling,” said PA Turnpike CEO Mark Compton. “This move reaffirms our commitment to the safety of our customers and employees as we modernize our operations and meet customer expectations for seamless, nonstop travel.”

‘Safe harbor’ legislation introduced to protect sexually exploited children

Senators Dan Laughlin (R-49) and Cris Dush (R-25) introduced legislation this week to update existing “safe harbor” laws and address gaps in current law regarding the protection and support of minors who have been victims of sexual exploitation.

“We need to change how the law deals with children who have been sexually exploited and implement provisions that seek to reverse the long-term impact on victims of sexual exploitation and sex trafficking,” Laughlin said. “Minors should not be charged with prostitution; these children should be recognized as victims and provided with the necessary support services to help them recover from their exploitation.”

The Senate Majority Policy Committee held a public hearing on human trafficking in January, learning not only that prosecution of offenders should be uniform across all municipalities and states, but also, just as importantly, that more should be done to protect victims of human trafficking. The proposed legislation, Senate Bill 1299, was developed based on the information received at that hearing.

“They are not limited to far-flung foreign lands or remote private islands, sex trafficking networks operate actively within our local communities, often as close as our neighbors,” said Dush, the lead sponsor of Act 39 of 2023, which was signed into law to ensure that sexually exploited child trafficking victims always have full access to appropriate services and support. “Knowing the statistics and horrors of human trafficking is useless without taking serious legislative action.”

SB 1299 covers all offenses related to the sexual exploitation of children, not just specific crimes. By using a broader scope, it ensures that all victims receive the help and protection they need, regardless of the circumstances of their exploitation.

Regional authorities play a vital role in improving coordination and response efforts, helping to identify and support sexually exploited children, and strengthening the overall effectiveness of the programme.

The legislation also aims to ensure the privacy and safety of children, as confidentiality is paramount to protect sexually exploited children from further harm.

Additionally, SB 1299 would create alternative interventions and support mechanisms for sexually exploited children; such victims would not be placed in the juvenile justice system. The focus would be on addressing the underlying factors that contribute to their exploitation to prevent further victimization.

Contact Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.

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