Miscellaneous
“I join in wishing Ben Jealous well as he prepares to step down at the end of the year as President of the NAACP, our nation’s oldest and most highly respected civil rights advocacy organization
“I join in extending my wishes for a sweet and happy New Year to all who are celebrating Rosh Hashanah.
“For twenty-three years, the Americans with Disabilities Act has been opening doors for tens of millions of Americans, and I was proud to have played a leading role in moving it through Congress in 1990. For too long, people with disabilities had been denied the equal opportunity to participate fully in our society – both as the result of discrimination and a lack of accessibility in both public and private spaces. Thanks to this historic legislation, barriers to access are disappearing along with misguided attitudes about people with disabilities and their potential to contribute to their communities and to our country.
“Mr. Speaker, as the Speaker has said, later today members and staff from both parties will come together to remember the tragic shooting that occurred 15 years ago in this Capitol.
“In Seneca Falls, New York, 165 years ago, a group of women and men came together to declare to our nation and the world that women would no longer be silenced by society, cut off from representation in government, or kept from participating fully in our economy.
“I join in marking 45 years since the first Special Olympics were held at Chicago’s Soldier Field in 1968. Originally the vision of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and taking inspiration from the summer camps she and her family ran at their home starting in 1962, the Special Olympics movement has brought dignity and opportunity to people with intellectual disabilities throughout the country and around the world.
“I rise with a great deal of sadness, saddened by the passing of my friend, William H. Gray, who represented the people of Pennsylvania’s Second District in this House from 1979 to 1991.
House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) joined Speaker John Boehner, Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, and leaders from both the House and Senate this morning at a ceremony in Emancipation Hall in the U.S. Capitol to mark Nelson Mandela International Day.
“This side of the aisle believes the passage of the farm bill is very, very important. It's important for our agricultural interests, for our farmers. We believe it's very important for those who are relying on nutritional programs and support from us.”
“As Co-Chair of the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, I was deeply saddened to learn of the loss of nineteen courageous firefighters who rushed into harm’s way to protect their community from a devastating wildfire near Yarnell, Arizona.