This bill, known as the Latonya Reeves Freedom Act of 2026, seeks to clarify and strengthen the integration mandate of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), as established by the Supreme Court in Olmstead v. L.C. . Its core purpose is to affirm a federally protected right for every individual eligible for long-term services and supports (LTSS) to be integrated into their community and receive community-based care. The Act aims to ensure that individuals with disabilities have maximum control over their services and supports, enabling them to lead independent lives. The legislation defines "community-based" services and settings as those that enable individuals to live independently, offering choice, autonomy, and full access to the greater community, including employment and social engagement. It specifies detailed criteria for dwellings and non-residential settings, ensuring they are integrated and support individual initiative. An individual with an LTSS disability is defined as someone needing assistance with daily living, instrumental activities, or health-related tasks, who is either currently institutionalized or at risk of institutionalization without community-based support. The bill explicitly prohibits public entities and LTSS insurance providers from discriminating against individuals with LTSS disabilities. This includes denying community-based services, imposing eligibility criteria or cost caps that prevent access, failing to provide specific needed services, or creating waiting lists. Discrimination also encompasses policies that interfere with independent living, such as requiring services in congregate or disability-specific settings. Furthermore, the Act mandates that these entities ensure an adequate workforce to support community living and provide intermittent, short-term, or emergent community-based services. It also addresses the critical need for affordable, accessible, and integrated housing , requiring entities to review and improve housing capacity, establish preferences for individuals transitioning from institutions, and fund necessary home modifications to facilitate independent living. The Department of Justice, led by the Attorney General, is tasked with investigating and enforcing violations of the Act. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administrator is responsible for reviewing and approving transition plans submitted by public entities. HHS will also establish a task force to identify socio-demographic, geographic, and other barriers and disparities in the provision of community-based LTSS, reporting findings and recommended actions to Congress. Within two years of enactment, the Attorney General must issue regulations requiring public entities and LTSS insurance providers to offer and provide community-based LTSS to eligible individuals. These regulations will mandate comprehensive self-evaluations of current services, policies, and practices, including collecting baseline data on institutionalized and community-based populations, and assessing community capacity and transportation barriers. Public entities and LTSS insurance providers that cannot demonstrate full compliance must submit comprehensive transition plans to the Administrator within 54 months, to be implemented within 12 years. These plans must include measurable objectives and annual targets for transitioning individuals and funding from institutional to integrated community settings. Public participation, including hearings and consultation with individuals with LTSS disabilities, is a required component of this planning process. The bill establishes robust enforcement mechanisms, allowing aggrieved individuals to file civil actions for preventive relief, including immediate injunctive relief to prevent or reverse institutionalization, and potentially actual and punitive damages. The Attorney General can also initiate civil actions against entities engaged in patterns of violations, with courts able to assess civil penalties up to $100,000 for a first violation and $200,000 for subsequent violations, to vindicate the public interest.