Tom Harkin: “I rise to support the ratification of the U.N. Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities or, as it is known, the…”

“I rise to support the ratification of the U.N. Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities or, as it is known, the CRPD. First, I wish to thank Chairman Kerry of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for his diligence and for his leadership on this issue. He has carried it through the committee; he has brought it to the floor. In fact, I was reminded earlier today, we were both on the committee back in the 1980s when we first started working on the Americans with Disabilities Act under the tutelage, really, of Senator Lowell Weicker, who remains a great friend to this day and is still a great leader on the issues of people with disabilities. So we go back that far working together on these issues. I thank Senator Kerry for his great leadership in bringing us to this point and, hopefully, the point being that we are going to ratify this wonderful treaty. I thank Senator Lugar again for all of his efforts through so many years on so many different issues, and on this issue especially, going back to the beginning of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If I might divert from this just for one brief moment to thank Senator Lugar for his leadership in making the world safer by getting rid of nuclear weapons in the Soviet Union. What a singular effort that has been. Senator Lugar has done much to make the world a better place for us and for our kids and grandkids. So I salute him for his wonderful leadership in that area.…”