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<br />~e!:"~o't"'a :1-::.~~ <br />Aug'.;.st 16, 1.990 <br />Page 3 <br /> <br />longer subject to ~~e =~quiremen~5, other facilities owned or con- <br />trolled by churches continue to be governed by those requirements. <br />Thi.s "logical converse" r-aticnale is net a conclusive consider- <br />at:c~, b~t it i~ persuasive. <br /> <br />Another consideration s;,,],pporting ny CC)::J.c,;,usion lies in t!1e <br />diffErences ~n theme and purpose between th~ knericans With D1s- <br />ab~lities Act of 1990 and the Access~bility Act. While it is true <br />tha~ these laws have many averlapping requirements, the reality i~ <br />that the Americans With Disab~lities Act is a much broader piece of <br />legislaticn than.the Accessibility Act. The tormer is a clas~ical <br />ci vi 1 1 iberties measure bear i rIg an urunista I(able functional and <br />struct\l,ral resel'nblance to the. Civil F..i,g'hts Act: of 1964. The latter <br />codifi!!5 a .set of b'lilding rei:IulreIt'.e;)ts,~ and operates as authoricy <br />fer the Accessi~ility Code ~or Building Construction. Because the <br />Acce5s~bility Act only regulates buildings and building constru~- <br />tion, it is replete with references t::> thE!! uses, purposes ana <br />functions of buildings a~d components of buildings. Its descrip- <br />t.ions of buildings center on the functiCJn ot: the buildir.q or <br />bui ldi ng component and their e f teet upon accessibili ty. Nowhere <br />does the Act differentia~e between Buildings or building components <br />based on the identity of the owner.~ <br /> <br />The consistent referen~es in ~he AcceSSibility Act to build- <br />ings by reference to use, purpose and function is further evidence <br />~nat the former reference to "churches" in ~he Accessibility Act <br />was intended to denote the build~ng or edifice ~n which the actual <br />rel1gious observance takes place rat~er than the organization WhlCh <br />is its owner. 7his lS an application of the rule of int~rpretation <br />ncs::itJ~r a sociis: that the meaning of the "ch:.1rches" reflirence may <br />be determi.ned fr'om the pa.~'al1el :.:efi:rences in the Act to other <br />kinds of buildings. Given the aIT~igui~y of the "churches" refer- <br />ence, t..":is is a legitimate rule of ir.terprer.,~tion. If the refer- <br />ence tears ~he same func~icnal rel~tion5hip to the section of the <br /> <br />~ <br /> <br />) For instance, the Acces5ibl~i:y Act refers more than once to <br />the "bu:ldings, structures, and ~acilit~es" by reference to func- <br />tion rather thar! the identity of :.he owner. ~ tl~ 553.504 (9), <br />553.507(1), 553.507(2), Fla. Ste.t. (1!?97j. Specific classes of <br />"buildings, stn.:ctures, and fa,:11i'.:ies" zre further identified by <br />func:'icr., not by t:-:e identit/ of rr:i.:! owrier. ~:~ ~ 553.504 (2) I Fla. <br />S::at. (1997) :"houses, duple}\es, triplexes"); s; 553.504(7), Fla. <br />S':a~. (l997) ("public food se.t:v;.c"" est;,a.bL,5~l;T.ents")j ~ 553.504(6). <br />n. a . S tat. ( 1997) ( "mo t ~ 1,<; c r. d ho tel s "): f; :.i 5:3 . 507 (2) (a), Fl a . <br />S':a:. D997) ("residential" ane \';.onr~sidential/ uses). <br />