March 25, 2026
Ms. Duckworth (for herself and Mr. Sullivan) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
To require the inclusion of an accessibility assessment during inspections of overseas diplomatic facilities by the Inspector General of the Department of State.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Inspector General Accessibility Reporting Act
.
Sec. 2. Findings
Congress finds the following:
(1)
The Department of State aspires to ensure that its buildings and facilities are accessible for individuals with disabilities, including its facilities overseas.
(2)
The Department of State has provided successive annual reports in 2024 (Department Report Number 006125) and 2025 (Department Report Number 006837) that provide a snapshot of the self-reported status of Barrier-Free Accessibility at the Department’s overseas posts.
Sec. 3. Purpose
The purpose of this Act is to continue enabling regular oversight and to ensure the Department of State meets its accessibility objectives and any associated statutory requirements by requiring additional, predictable data points from independent inspections of these posts, such as those regularly completed by the Department of State’s Office of Inspector General.
Sec. 4. Definitions
Section 102 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3902) is amended—
(1)
by redesignating paragraphs (3) through (12) as paragraphs (6) through (15), respectively;
(2)
by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph (4);
(3)
by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
(2)
Access Board means the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board established under section 502 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 792);
(3)
Accessibility Standards means—
(A)
standards (including guidelines) established by the Access Board in compliance with the Architectural Barriers Act;
(B)
standards established by the Access Board in compliance with section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d); and
(C)
such other standards as are deemed appropriate by the Secretary of State to ensure compliance with the Architectural Barriers Act and title V of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 791 et seq.);; and
(4)
by inserting after paragraph (4), as redesignated, the following:
(5)
Architectural Barriers Act means the Act entitled
An Act to ensure that certain buildings financed with Federal funds are so designed and constructed as to be accessible to the physically handicapped, approved August 12, 1968 (commonly known as the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968) (42 U.S.C. 4151 et seq.);
Sec. 5. Requiring accessibility information in Office of the Inspector General investigations
Section 209(b) of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 (22 U.S.C. 3929(b)) is amended—
(1)
in paragraph (4), by striking and
at the end;
(2)
in paragraph (5), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and
; and
(3)
by adding at the end the following:
(6)
the extent to which the post, bureau, or other operating unit under inspection meets the Accessibility Standards, including the building and facility standards under the Architectural Barriers Act.