Baltimore City reaches settlement to improve sidewalk, ramp accessibility for disabled pedestrians
The settlement comes after a group of pedestrians with mobility disabilities filed a claim alleging that many of the city's ramps and sidewalks are not accessible and violate the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
To resolve the lawsuit, the city entered into a
partial consent decree
in which officials agreed to devote a minimum of $44 million to build or fix thousands of ramps and sidewalks throughout Baltimore.
A consent decree is an agreement or settlement that resolves claims between two parties without either side having to admit liability or guilt.
They are often used to ensure businesses comply with certain laws.
A partial consent decree allows for specific issues to be resolved while other aspects are left unresolved.
Baltimore's partial consent decree requires compliance with the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Under the agreement, the city will create new programs that will increase sidewalk accessibility for residents and visitors with mobility issues.
The city is also required to improve its 311 system that allows for requests and complaints related to accessibility at intersections and sidewalks.
In the third year of the partial consent decree, the city and the pedestrians who filed the claim will negotiate a long-term plan to make all of the city's ramps and sidewalks accessible.
"This partial consent decree puts in place the programs to ensure that Baltimore finally lives up to the promises of the Americans with Disabilities Act, so that people with mobility disabilities can navigate around the City of Baltimore just as safely and to the same extent as everyone else," said Madeleine Reichman, Senior Staff Attorney at Disability Rights Advocates.
Baltimore City officials said they
plan to invest $8 million in 2025
, and $12 million for each of the following three years to update their sidewalks and curbs.
The city will create a program with the Department of Transportation to manage the projects.
An ADA coordinator will also be appointed to focus on maintaining accessibility for pedestrians.
"The challenge posed by our city's sidewalks and curbs long predates the Americans with Disabilities Act and adequately changing our infrastructure poses a monumental task," Mayor Brandon Scott said. "However, under my administration, we are committed to taking every action necessary to set the City on track to come into compliance with the ADA, and ensure Baltimore is more accessible to our disabled community than ever before."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Journals
6 hours ago
- Business Journals
5 labor law compliance challenges in changing times
Navigating labor law compliance is an ongoing challenge for businesses. The laws and regulations governing the workplace change constantly, from paid leave to safety standards. Falling behind can lead to penalties, lawsuits, and reputational damage. Here are five current labor law challenges employers need to watch. 1. Restrictions on Job Applications States are increasingly adopting "ban-the-box" laws that prevent employers from asking about applicants' criminal history during the early stages of hiring. These laws, first adopted in California, aim to reduce barriers to employment for those with a criminal record. Today, states like Connecticut, Hawaii, and Illinois, as well as many municipalities, enforce similar rules. Additionally, many states have imposed salary history bans, restricting employers from inquiring about prior earnings during the hiring process. Even if your business isn't currently impacted by these laws, this trend is growing, making it worth adapting hiring practices preemptively. 2. Mental Health and Medical Accommodations The ADA requires businesses to provide reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities. Recently, there's been a growing focus on accommodating mental health issues and removing stigmas surrounding such conditions. At the same time, medical marijuana presents compliance challenges, particularly in states where its use is legal. For example, how should businesses approach employees who fail a drug test but hold a medical marijuana prescription? Employers must balance the ADA, workplace safety regulations, and state laws, which can lead to complex compliance scenarios. 3. Employment-at-Will Misconceptions Many small business owners assume 'employment at will' means they can terminate employees for any reason without issue. However, wrongful termination claims often arise if the fired employee is part of a protected class—for example, based on gender, race, religion, or increasingly, LGBTQ+ status. Proper documentation is crucial to protect businesses. Maintain accurate records of performance concerns and follow established training and counseling processes to reduce the risk of legal challenges. 4. Employee Classification and Wage Compliance Misclassifying employees as exempt or non-exempt can result in serious consequences under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Employers must document time, attendance, and safety training records accurately, especially in industries with OSHA regulations. Small businesses often struggle to understand when overtime applies or misinterpret state-specific wage laws. Regular audits of classifications and payroll practices can help businesses stay compliant. 5. Lawsuits for Labor Law Violations California's Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA) illustrates the risks companies face when employees bring forward labor law claims. PAGA allows employees to act as private attorneys, filing lawsuits on behalf of themselves and others for labor violations. Although this legislation is specific to California, it demonstrates the potential scope of legal challenges nationwide. Non-compliance, whether intentional or not, invites fines, lawsuits, and reputational harm. Addressing compliance issues proactively can help mitigate these risks. Why Compliance Awareness Matters While some businesses assume labor laws primarily apply to larger organizations, most regulations—including those addressing discrimination, safety, or wage standards—extend to small businesses. Violations can lead to substantial fines, time-consuming lawsuits, and long-term damage to employer reputation. Wronged employees often share negative experiences online, which can hurt a company's ability to attract top talent. Staying ahead of changes in labor laws and responding swiftly can protect your business and preserve your brand image. How To Stay Ahead Review policies regularly, keeping pace with federal, state, and municipal regulations. Document everything, from training to disciplinary actions. Consider working with a professional employer organization (PEO) for guidance on HR and compliance challenges. Employment laws evolve continuously. Addressing issues now may save costs, stress, and reputational risks in the future. By staying informed and proactive, businesses can rise to meet these challenges and thrive despite changing times. At Insperity, it's not just HR outsourcing, it's HR that makes a difference. Our comprehensive, scalable HR solutions offer an optimal blend of service and technology to facilitate growth by streamlining processes related to payroll, benefits, talent management and HR compliance. We provide the tools to help you lighten your administrative load, maximize productivity and manage risks – so you can focus on growth. Because that's what it means to have a true HR partner. .
Associated Press
8 hours ago
- Associated Press
South Carolina celebrates another interstate expansion after influx of money to crumbling system
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The leader of South Carolina 's roads agency has been to so many groundbreaking ceremonies for highway projects that he has the whole routine down. Signs were printed, fancy shovels were readied and, since it's the middle of August, an air-conditioned spot — the welcome center in Hardeeville — was booked for Thursday's celebration of an $825 million project on Interstate 95 to untangle another traffic mess in one of the fastest growing states in the U.S. Justin Powell has been around for a half-dozen of these in his nearly seven years at the South Carolina Department of Transportation. A much different road agency than a decade ago Powell oversees an agency whose reputation and results have turned around in the past eight years. An influx of money raised the gas tax 12 cents under his predecessor Christy Hall, pushing it up to 28 cents a gallon. SCDOT was spending $2.7 billion on roads then. The agency is now about to pass $7 billion in highway construction. It's a far cry from 11 years ago when the DOT secretary before Hall — who continually told lawmakers his job was to 'manage the decline of the state highway system' — resigned after being pulled over for driving under the influence at 8 a.m. on a weekday. He was the third director in two years. 'Thanks to the trust from the General Assembly in 2017, we've delivered what we were asked to do,' Powell told The Associated Press in an interview in his office. Orange construction barrels everywhere Thursday's ceremony marks the start of a 10-mile (16-kilometer) project to widen I-95 to three lanes in each direction and replace the bridges over the Savannah River at the Georgia state line, a bottleneck that often stalls traffic. Elsewhere, crews are working on a $2 billion project to iron out the place where Interstates 20, 26 and 126 all meet in Columbia. Work has started on projects that will eventually expand 70 miles (113 kilometers) of I-26 from Charleston to Columbia to three lanes in each direction. And soon, the state plans to reconstruct the Interstate 526 half loop around Charleston, which could cost up to $7 billion. And it isn't just interstate work. A decade ago nearly half the pavement on the 41,000 miles (66,000 kilometers) of roads was in poor shape. Since then, more than a quarter of South Carolina's roads have been repaved. And, thousands of bridges built in the 1950s and 1960s are now reaching replacement age. As Powell's agency finishes digging out of the hole of decades of neglect, he is well aware South Carolina has added 1.5 million people over the past 25 years. Many complaints he hears have moved from rough roads and potholes to congestion. 'This is not little ol' South Carolina anymore,' Powell said. 'The interstate system was built back when South Carolina had about 2.5 million people. We've got this dual challenge of maintaining what we have and dealing with significant growth pressure.' Accountability instead of horse-trading The highway agency has long been dogged by corruption and horse trading where favored legislators got road projects that were funneled to their friends. In 1935, the governor sent a militia armed with machine guns to the highway commission after the board refused to seat his appointees. Today, Powell and his agency have received unprecedented support from lawmakers who changed the agency's structure. But, there are still DOT critics. The conservative Freedom Caucus said the agency isn't spending money wisely enough and wants to use artificial intelligence to overcome what it calls burdensome regulations without a lot of details. The group also wants to turn roads over to counties. South Carolina is the 40th biggest U.S. state in area, but has the fourth largest state-maintained road network. The state controls three times as many miles of roads as Florida. Powell gets the idea, but said unwinding nearly a century of state control would be difficult. Counties would need money and many would need an influx of new machinery and knowledge. 'It took us 90 years to get here,' Powell said. 'It would probably take us that long to find our way out.'
Business Wire
11 hours ago
- Business Wire
BigBear.ai and Smiths Detection Complete Testing and Integration
MCLEAN, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- (NYSE: BBAI), a leader in mission-ready AI for national security, today announced the successful integration of its Pangiam ® Threat Detection solution with Smiths Detection's HI-SCAN 6040 CTiX computed tomography screening systems. This integration – now available for airports worldwide – delivers real-time detection of prohibited items in luggage, enhancing security operations across aviation, port, and border environments. The integrated solution completed testing and is being trialed at multiple international airports, providing airport operators with a powerful, flexible tool to modernize checkpoint security. 'Our ability to interoperate with Smiths Detection equipment brings together best-in-class technologies to accelerate threat detection and streamline screening workflows,' said Kevin McAleenan, CEO of 'By connecting platform with Smiths Detection's advanced CT scanners, we're helping airports adopt open architecture solutions that adapt quickly to emerging threats, while also improving throughput and the passenger experience.' The interoperability between both companies' technology marks the latest step in expanding open architecture solutions within aviation security, giving operators more flexibility to select capabilities for their unique operational needs. 'This deepened collaboration demonstrates our shared commitment to delivering smarter, open, and interoperable security solutions, aligning with the principles of the Ada initiative,' said Cymoril Metivier, Global Director Digital, Smiths Detection. 'Combining and validating interoperability between the clarity of Smiths Detection CT imaging with AI analytics and algorithms is an important step forward in supporting our customers in executing Open Architecture responsibly.' Pangiam ® Threat Detection platform was originally developed under the 'Project Dartmouth' initiative and features an open architecture that supports integration with a range of third-party scanning hardware, detection algorithms, and decision support tools. Its flexible design positions airport operators and federal security partners to rapidly evolve alongside today's complex threat environment. To learn more about computer vision and screening products, visit: To learn more about Smiths Detection's aviation security technologies, visit: About is a leading provider of mission-ready AI solutions and services for defense, national security, and critical infrastructure. Customers and partners rely on artificial intelligence and predictive analytics capabilities in highly complex, distributed, mission-based operating environments. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, is a public company traded on the NYSE under the symbol BBAI. For more information, visit and follow on LinkedIn: @ and X: @BigBearai. To receive email communications from register here. About Smiths Detection Smiths Detection, a business of Smiths Group, is a global leader in inspection and detection technologies for the air transport, ports and borders, armed forces and urban security markets. With more than 70 years of experience in the field, we offer the necessary solutions to protect society from the threats posed by explosives, prohibited weapons, contraband, toxic chemical agents, biological threats and narcotics – helping to make the world a safer place. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains 'forward-looking statements.' Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the intended use of proceeds from the private placement and may be preceded by the words 'intends,' 'may,' 'will,' 'plans,' 'expects,' 'anticipates,' 'projects,' 'predicts,' 'estimates,' 'aims,' 'believes,' 'hopes,' 'potential' or similar words. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, are based on certain assumptions and are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's control, and cannot be predicted or quantified and consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including changes in domestic and foreign business, market, financial, political, and legal conditions; risks related to the uncertainty of the projected financial information (including on a segment reporting basis); risks related to delays caused by factors outside of our control, including changes in fiscal or contracting policies or decreases in available government funding; changes in government programs or applicable requirements; budgetary constraints, including automatic reductions as a result of 'sequestration' or similar measures and constraints imposed by any lapses in appropriations for the federal government or certain of its departments and agencies; influence by, or competition from, third parties with respect to pending, new, or existing contracts with government customers; our ability to successfully compete for and receive task orders and generate revenue under Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contracts; potential delays or changes in the government appropriations or procurement processes, including as a result of events such as war, incidents of terrorism, natural disasters, and public health concerns or epidemics; and increased or unexpected costs or unanticipated delays caused by other factors outside of our control, such as performance failures of our subcontractors; risks related to the rollout of the business and the timing of expected business milestones; the effects of competition on our future business; our ability to issue equity or equity-linked securities in the future, and those factors discussed in the Company's reports and other documents filed with the SEC, including under the heading 'Risk Factors.' More detailed information about the Company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in the Company's filings with the SEC, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Investors and security holders are urged to read these documents free of charge on the SEC's web site at The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
