[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 49 (Wednesday, April 17, 1996)]
[House]
[Page H3561]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1800
ADVANCES BROUGHT ABOUT BY REPUBLICANS
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Metcalf). Under a previous order of the
House, the gentleman from Florida [Mr. Mica] is recognized for 5
minutes.
Mr. MICA. Mr. Speaker, when I came to Congress 3 years ago, I was
really appalled, like many other Americans, to find out that Congress
really did not have to live under the laws that they imposed on
everyone else.
I remember, when I ordered signs for my district office, I attempted
to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Then I came back to
Washington and was shocked to find out that in Washington, they did not
comply with the ADA Act, and they did not comply with the rest of the
rules and regulations.
It was ironic, shortly thereafter, that I had visiting constituents
from my district and around the country who were visually impaired. I
really was embarrassed to see those folks try to find their way around
this place, this maze, without any proper, even common courtesy
identification for those with a disability.
I wrote on February 26, 1993, to the Democrat committee chairman who
was in charge of the House oversight at that time. Mr. Speaker, I
include that letter for the Record.
The letter referred to is as follows:
Congress of the United States,
House of Representatives,
Washington, DC, February 26, 1993.
Hon. Charlie Rose,
Chairman, Committee on House Administration, The Capitol,
Washington, DC.
Dear Representative Rose: My recent experience in ordering
signage for my district offices in Central Florida has
prompted me to ask why the House of Representatives should
not comply with a simple and necessary provision of the
Americans with Disability Act with regard to use of braille
for blind and visually impaired people.
After laborious efforts to get local district office signs
approved by the committee on House Administration, the sign
company informed me that ADA regulations also required that
the suite numbers be in braille. After inquiring with
committee staff as to why this was not addressed in the
Congressional Handbook, I was informed that the House was
exempt from the regulation. I did, however, request the
addition of braille to my signs.
It was ironic in that the same week this happened,
representatives for the blind and visually impaired around
the country were visiting their Members of Congress and no
Member suites in the House Office Buildings are equipped with
braille signs.
I would like to request that House rules add braille
directional signs located in the interior of local district
offices and in the House offices buildings. I urge that
consideration be given to this much needed service to our
visually impaired citizens.
Sincerely,
John L. Mica,
Member of Congress.
Rather than reading the whole letter that I wrote to the chairman of
the Committee on House Oversight, I will summarize it. I told him our
experience, that here we are, a Congress telling people to comply with
the laws, and I just had these folks with visual infirmities and
disabilities in the hallways, trying to find their way around the
Capitol. Why could we not at least give them the courtesy of labeling
our offices in compliance with ADA? I never got a reply. I brought it
up again, and I asked and begged.
The American people made some changes here then. On the first day of
the 104th Congress we passed, remember, the Congressional
Accountability Act. That said that every Member of Congress and
Congress must comply with the laws they impose on everyone else. Most
people do not know that that is now the law. Sometimes around here
there are great battles and little victories.
I am here tonight to tell you about one little victory. Here is the
little victory. Going up around the Capitol Building and in my office,
and I am so proud of this little improvement, little victory, are these
signs. They are placed in compliance with ADA. If you are visually
impaired, you can even find out whose office you are in. This is a
small success, but we said when we took control of this Congress we
were going to make some changes. We were going to make Congress obey
these laws. This is one little victory that I am so proud of.
Not only did we do that, but how thrilled I was today to also find
another sign which was going up. Heaven forbid we should have maps that
should help those visually impaired to find their way around the maze
of the Capitol Building, but we have these, and actually your can put
your hands across these, and those visually impaired and who read
Braille, they can find their way around this maze.
So Republicans said they would make changes, and they are making
changes. I know this is not changing the world as we know it; it is not
changing everything, our freshman program, but it is a beginning.
There are some other things that people probably do not know about
what we have done with the Congress and the congressional budget. I
want to take a minute to thank, first of all, the gentleman from
California, Bill Thomas, who is chairman of the Committee on House
Oversight, for his actions and leadership on this issue and other
issues.
Mr. Speaker, the Republicans said they would cut the cost of
operating this Congress, the legislative branch, and they did. We cut a
quarter of a billion, $250 million, out of our budget. That is done.
Republicans said they would cut congressional staff, and we reduced
the staff on the Hill somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,000 positions.
I chaired the Civil Service Subcommittee, which was three subcommittees
before. It had 54 staffers. We operate it with 7. We said we were going
to make changes. We did make those changes. Republicans said they would
privatize capital operations, and we did.
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