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Congress·In Committee·H.R. 7328

House Bill Would Require 18-Month Wait Before Suing Small Businesses Over Website Accessibility

Protecting Small Businesses from Predatory Website Lawsuits Act

about 2 months ago·View on Congress.gov

Legislative Progress

House
Senate
President
Law

Key Points

  • This bill changes how people can sue businesses if their websites or mobile apps are hard for people with disabilities to use. Currently, people can often file lawsuits immediately, but this plan would require a long waiting period and several steps first.
  • Under the new rules, a person must first notify the business about the specific problem. The business then has 180 days (about six months) to fix the website before the person can take any further legal action.
  • If the problem is not fixed after six months, the person must file a complaint with the Department of Justice. The government then has 360 days (nearly a year) to investigate and decide if the website actually breaks the law.
  • A lawsuit can only be started after these steps are finished. If the Department of Justice does not finish its investigation within the one-year deadline, the business is automatically considered to be following the law, which could block the lawsuit entirely.
  • The goal of the bill is to protect small businesses from 'predatory' lawsuits that demand quick payouts for technical errors. However, it also means people with disabilities might have to wait a year and a half or longer to see website barriers removed.
Civil RightsTechnology Digital

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Feb 3, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Feb 3, 2026

Introduced in House

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Protecting Small Businesses from Predatory Website Lawsuits Act

Bill NumberHR 7328
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Sponsor

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.