[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11417]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING MR. BILL ALTAFFER

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. RAUL M. GRIJALVA

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 13, 2015

  Mr. GRIJALVA. Mr. Speaker, the people of Tucson lost a tremendous 
presence in our community with the recent passing of Bill Altaffer. An 
attorney by trade and a humanitarian at heart, Bill was deeply 
committed to improving the quality of life in Arizona, across the 
country and around the world.
  After graduating with honors from Pitzer College and earning his law 
degree from the University of Arizona, he served as associate general 
counsel to three Indian nations, assisting their governments in the 
interpretation of their constitutions and the enactment of 
environmental protection legislation.
  Bill's affiliations speak volumes about his commitment to helping 
others. He was a member of the Muscular Dystrophy Association's (MDA) 
National Task Force Steering Committee, and a member and past chairman 
of the Southern Arizona Task Force on Public Awareness. In 1995, he 
received the MDA's National Personal Achievement Award, and in 2002, 
received the Tucson Human Relations Commission's Rabbi Albert T. 
Bilgray Make a Difference Award for his lifelong activism for human 
rights and social change based on the rule of law.
  Bill and his wife, Colette, led the groundbreaking effort to enact 
the Inclusive Home Design Ordinance in Pima County, Arizona. This 
visitability ordinance requires new single-family houses to meet 
minimum accessibility standards, thereby promoting the independence of 
people with disabilities. It remains the most progressive legislation 
of its type in the country today.
  It was through this visitability ordinance effort that I first came 
to know both Bill and Colette. I immediately admired their commitment 
to their cause, and equally as important, their commitment to each 
other. The love they shared for each other was an inspiration to anyone 
who met them. They truly were soul mates, meant to be partners in their 
lives and in their vision for helping others.
  Together they spent countless hours educating elected officials and 
their staffs, home builders, and community members alike about the 
incredibly positive impact that simple alterations to home designs can 
have for individuals with disabilities. Their efforts will benefit our 
community for decades to come. Bill and Colette guided the committee's 
efforts in creating and passing a visitability ordinance that propelled 
Pima County to the forefront of ensuring home accessibility for 
everyone. Their efforts helped many people remain in their homes, and 
access the homes of friends and family with little significant costs 
added to the price of a new home.
  Bill may be gone from our material world, but he will remain in the 
hearts and minds of anyone who was lucky enough to meet him. His life 
together with Colette is an inspiration to everyone sharing their 
lifelong commitment to fighting injustice.

                          ____________________