[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 17525]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




RECOGNIZING THE 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
January 4, 2005, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Holt) is recognized 
during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 15th anniversary 
of the Americans with Disabilities Act, enacted on July 26, 1990.
  The ADA occupies a unique place in our political and social history, 
providing sweeping protections against discrimination for a group that 
had suffered legal inequities and indignities from time immemorial. The 
accommodations that ADA afforded to persons with disabilities, in 
employment, public and private services, transportation and 
telecommunications, demonstrated that all Americans are entitled to 
legal protection from discrimination.
  Just as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was essential to eliminating 
legal justifications for denying equal rights to African Americans and 
others, the Americans with Disabilities Act constituted a step forward 
by prohibiting discrimination against persons with disabilities; and 
just as passage of the Civil Rights Act was a necessary precursor to 
the elimination of racism in practice, we still have some distance to 
go in order to eliminate popular prejudice and stigmatization of 
persons with disabilities.
  In Congress, I have worked with the disability community to ensure 
that all Americans are afforded the full protection of the law. I have 
introduced legislation to require that staff working with 
developmentally disabled persons call emergency services in the event 
of a life-threatening situation. Danielle's Law would extend the New 
Jersey law to the rest of the country.
  I have introduced the Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility 
Act, legislation to amend the Help America Vote Act, to require a 
voter-verified paper audit trail and to ensure that any system of 
verification be fully accessible for all voters.
  In the Committee on Education and Workforce, I successfully amended 
H.R. 4278, the Improving Access to Assistive Technology For Individuals 
With Disabilities Act of 2004, in order to allow protection and 
advocacy agencies to carry over program income, funds generated by 
program activities, that is, for 2 additional years. This change will 
enable these programs to reinvest the earned funds into additional 
services and assistance in the acquisition, utilization and maintenance 
of assistive technology.
  I have opposed the Department of Education's efforts to gut the 
Rehabilitation Services Administration, a program that has literally 
changed people's lives, providing the tools for disabled persons to 
live and work independently and with dignity. I fought for a full 40 
percent funding for Individuals With Disability Education Act, the 
IDEA, which the Federal Government neglects. We are underfunding it by 
at least a factor of two.
  The Americans with Disabilities Act has allowed great gains in the 
past 15 years, but there is much yet to be done. We must continue to 
ensure that jobs are open to persons with disabilities and that these 
valuable employees have the necessary accommodations. We must continue 
to make accessible transportation and housing options and grant access 
to community-based supports and services that promote independence and 
integration. We must also commit to continued education and job 
training for all Americans.
  Since the passage of the ADA, I have been concerned with the 
interpretation of the law by Federal courts with regard to protections 
offered and individuals protected. The Federal courts' narrow 
interpretation of ADA has prevented it from achieving all that it was 
designed to do. As the Senate considers the nomination of a new Supreme 
Court justice, I hope the Senate will fully inquire as to his views on 
the application of the ADA.
  Again, I would like to recognize the 15th anniversary of the 
Americans with Disabilities Act. I value the advances that our country 
has achieved because of legal protections it extends, and I look 
forward to continuing to work on behalf of Americans with disabilities.

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