[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 15]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 21400]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNITION OF THE 13TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE SIGNING OF THE AMERICANS 
                     WITH DISABILITIES ACT INTO LAW

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. KATHERINE HARRIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 4, 2003

  Ms. HARRIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate a landmark civil 
rights anniversary in American history, which passed after we had 
adjourned for the District Work Period in July. Thirteen years ago, the 
first President Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into 
law, launching a new era in our nation's everlasting journey towards 
equal opportunity for all.
  This long-overdue legislation finally breathed life into the 
principle that every American has the right to be a full and equal 
participant in our society.
  As Florida's Secretary of State, I was blessed to have the 
opportunity to apply the mission of the ADA to the cause of election 
reform. Beginning with my appointment of a Select Task Force in 2001, 
we worked to remove the obstacles that prevented persons with 
disabilities in Florida from enjoying the sanctity of the secret ballot 
and the civic majesty of going to the polls on Election Day.
  Thanks to powerful advocates from Florida's disabilities community 
like Pam Dorwarth, Doug Towne, and Richard LaBelle as well as the 
skilled leadership of Colonel Charley Price in mobilizing our veterans 
with disabilities, Florida became the first state in the nation to pass 
wide-ranging legislation vindicating the voting rights of persons with 
disabilities.
  As we celebrate how far we have come, we must not forget how many 
miles we still must travel to truly secure for every American the 
rights and privileges that most of us take for granted.

                          ____________________