On the recordSeptember 20, 2012
I truly am sorry to see this happen on the Senate floor, I say to my good friend from Utah. This has been a long time coming. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities started here, started in America. It started with the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Ninety-one Senators voted yea on that--strongly supported by conservatives, liberals, moderates, understanding that we had to take that next step in having a broad civil rights law that covered people with disabilities in our society. After that was passed and during the 1990s, it became clear that it kind of ignited a conscience around the world that we needed to do something globally about people with disabilities. So really the United States sort of became the leader in promoting this Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the United Nations. In fact, I have a quote I would share with my friend. When President Bush signed the bill on July 26, 1990--and we were all gathered at the White House--here is what he said: This historic act is the world's first comprehensive declaration of equality for people with disabilities--the first. Its passage has made the United States the international leader on this human rights issue. So starting after that, our diplomats and others started working on this issue, and so this convention was developed through the United Nations.…
