Tom Harkin: “We in Congress met, these many years, overwhelming evidence that discrimination in this country against people with…”

“We in Congress met, these many years, overwhelming evidence that discrimination in this country against people with disabilities was rampant, unchecked, building up year after year. It was not just in the private sector but in the public sector. State governments and the Federal Government discriminated against people with disabilities. It was pervasive in our society. We took care, when we passed that bill, to make sure we had the findings and the constitutional basis to pass muster in the United States Supreme Court. The signing sealed the work of a monumental bipartisan effort that sought to right decades of wrong. It took the tireless work of Democrats and Republicans alike. As I said, it passed the Senate 91 to 6. The House passed it 402 to 20. Then-Attorney General Thornburgh was a strong supporter. The Chamber of Commerce was on our side, the business community, the States, President Bush, all stood together. Why did we all stand together on the ADA? Because it was the right thing to do. Justice demanded it. July 26, 1990--President Bush said a lot of good things that day as he signed this bill. As I said, I will never forget it. I was proud of this because it represented the hard work of a lot of people and it broke down these old barriers of exclusion and intolerance and injustice toward people with disabilities.”