On Tuesday, November 14, 1989, the Education and Labor Committee of the House of Representatives voted 35-0 in favor of a modified substitute Americans with Disabilities Act (H.R. 2273). The modifications were negotiated by Congressman Steny Hoyer (MD), who was overseeing the ADA in the House, and Steve Bartlett (TX), the ranking minority member of the Select Education Subcommittee.

The modifications were primarily aimed at clarifying parts of the Senate-passed bill (S. 933). The disability community agreed to the modifications. None of the modifications weakened the bill as passed by the Senate, however, the Committee defeated eight amendments aimed at weakening the coverage of the ADA. Most of these amendments were prepared in response to concerns raised by businesses and public transit operators about compliance costs.

The process was not yet over for passage of H.R. 2273. Three other House committees had jurisdiction over the bill: Judiciary; Energy and Commerce; and Public Works and Transportation.

One controversial amendment approved by the House was introduced by Jim Chapman (TX) at the request of the National Restaurant Association to give restaurant owners the statutory authority to shift persons with AIDS or HIV infections out of food handling positions.