A law requiring lifts at all public pools went into effect Thursday, despite opposition from state leaders and hoteliers.
The lifts are being required under the Americans with Disabilities Act, to give the disabled better access to public pools.
South Carolina Representative Mick Mulvaney and Arizona Senator John Boozman are fighting the act. They say it's too costly and asked for an extension of the deadline, but that was denied.
If hoteliers didn't get lifts installed by today, they must prove they showed due diligence in working toward installing the lift.
Under the new guidelines, a pool under 300 linear feet must provide one means of access that's a sloped entry or a pool lift. For larger pools, there must be two means of access which can be a pool lift, sloped entry, pool stairs, transfer wall or transfer system. Wading pools must have a sloped entry. The new rules apply to new and existing pools.
