Cord Byrd: “Mr. President, after careful consideration of the issues involved, I have determined that I must vote against the…”

“Mr. President, after careful consideration of the issues involved, I have determined that I must vote against the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995. I do not expect to persuade others, and there may be no others who will vote against this act. I may be alone. There should be no mistake about my intentions. I support the goal of this legislation. It is the means for implementing the provisions in the bill to which I largely object. I support holding all Senators accountable for the treatment of their employees. We should and we must evaluate our employees' job performance on the basis of merit, not with respect to race or gender or age or national origin or religion or disability. We should and we must pay our employees fair wages for the work they do. We should and we must provide our employees with a safe environment in which to work. I have been in Congress now going on my 43d year. I have always held to these principles. We should and we must accommodate the disabled and allow employees to take leave when they are blessed with the birth of a child or a family member becomes seriously ill.”