Political Quotes

“I rise today to recognize and honor the life of Robert ``Bobby'' Silverstein, a leader in the disability rights movement, who passed away on November 17 from complications from cancer. Bobby served in a number of roles in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, including as staff director and chief counsel for the Subcommittee on Disability Policy of the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources, now the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. He drafted, negotiated, and helped pass landmark bipartisan legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act and critical amendments to the Rehabilitation Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act, improving the lives of millions of people with disabilities. Bobby was an effective leader known for building consensus and his dedication to critical analysis and the basic principle of fairness. Bobby received dozens of national awards honoring his contributions, including the Distinguished Services Award of the President of the United States in 1993. Bobby improved the lives of people with disabilities by enshrining in Federal law their fundamental rights to full participation, equal opportunity, independent living, economic self-sufficiency, education, and employment.…”