Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong opposition to this legislation. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush declared a long overdue ``independence day'' for people with disabilities as he signed the historic Americans with Disabilities Act into law. As the House sponsor of the ADA, I shared the President's optimism and hope that every man, woman, and child with a disability can now pass through once-closed doors into a bright new era of equality, independence, and freedom. I was proud to work across the aisle on the ADA and on the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, the only time the ADA has ever been amended. We brought together outside groups from a broad range of affiliations to create a framework for policy that would vastly improve accessibility and be agreeable to all. Unfortunately, people with disabilities still face stubborn barriers to full inclusion. In the last year, people with differing abilities have had to fight for access to healthcare and the services they need to live independently and with dignity. Now we have on the floor a bill that would undermine the central tenet of the ADA: the right of victims of discrimination to seek redress for exclusion. Requiring victims of discrimination to provide notice of a violation before bringing a lawsuit is an improper shift of the burden of compliance onto victims, one not required of any other group by any other civil rights law. Not a single civil rights law gives this kind of provision.…”