SRES207JUL29

TheWeekInCongress.com

Week Ending July 29, 2005

S.RES.207 A resolution recognizing and honoring the 15th anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

BRIEF

It was only fifteen years ago when two centuries of discrimination against those of us who are handicapped was brought under the reigns of the law.

Handicapped Americans were treated differently in the areas of employment, housing, education, recreation and even voting, the Resolution preamble says.

It was a Democratic majority in Congress and Former President George H.W. Bush who wrote and signed the bill, respectively.

Sponsor: Representative Tom Harkin (IA)

Vote: 87 to 0 (RV 201) (July 25, 2005)

Cost to the taxpayers: No discernible cost

MORE INFORMATION

Whereas July 26, 2005, marks the 15th anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990;

Whereas prior to the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, it was commonplace for individuals with disabilities to experience discrimination in all aspects of their everyday lives--in employment, housing, public accommodations, education, transportation, communication, recreation, voting, and access to public services;

Whereas prior to the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, individuals with disabilities often were the subject of stereotypes and prejudices that did not reflect their abilities, talents, and eagerness to fully contribute to our society and economy;

Whereas the dedicated efforts of disability rights advocates, such as Justin Dart, Jr. and others too numerous to mention, served to awaken Congress and the American people to the discrimination and prejudice faced by individuals with disabilities;

Whereas Congress worked in a bipartisan manner to craft legislation making such discrimination illegal and opening doors of opportunity to individuals with disabilities;

Whereas Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act and President George Herbert Walker Bush signed the Act into law on July 26, 1990;

Whereas the Americans with Disabilities Act pledged to fulfill the Nation's goals of equality of opportunity, economic self-sufficiency, full participation, and independent living for individuals with disabilities;

Whereas the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibited employers from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities, required that State and local governmental entities accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities, encouraged places of public accommodation to take reasonable steps to make their goods and services accessible to individuals with disabilities, and required that new trains and buses be accessible;

Whereas since 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act has played an historic role in allowing some 54,000,000 Americans with disabilities to participate more fully in our national life by removing barriers in employment, transportation, public services, telecommunications, and public accommodations;

Whereas accommodations such as curb cuts, ramps, accessible trains and buses, accessible stadiums, accessible telecommunications, and accessible Web sites have become commonplace since passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, benefitting not only individuals with disabilities but all Americans; and

Whereas the Americans with Disabilities Act is our Nation's landmark civil rights legislation for people with disabilities: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate--

(1) recognizes and honors the 15th anniversary of the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990;

(2) salutes all people whose efforts contributed to the enactment of such Act; and

(3) encourages all Americans to celebrate the advance of freedom and the opening of opportunity made possible by the enactment of such Act.

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