Epilepsy Foundation Praises U.S. Senate Introduction of Bill to Protect the Rights of Americans with Disabilities

WASHINGTON—The Epilepsy Foundation praises the U.S. Senate for introducing the ADA Amendments Act with the bipartisan support of 57 original cosponsors. The Epilepsy Foundation joins over 200 national organizations in supporting the legislation. The restoration of the ADA to cover all the people Congress originally intended to be protected, including people with epilepsy, has been a major priority of the Epilepsy Foundation and the Senate’s action takes us one step closer to making that happen this year.

Following a recent hearing held by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pension, Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) worked together to bolster bipartisan support for the bill and introduce it on the Senate floor. “Just like the bipartisan passage of the original ADA, this bill has been conceived and crafted in a spirit of genuine bipartisanship—members of both parties coming together to do the right thing for Americans with disabilities,” said Senator Harkin. The proposed Amendments Act would secure the promise of the ADA, which has been eroded by recent Supreme Court decisions that left people with disabilities—including epilepsy, diabetes, cancer and mental illness—without the protections Congress originally envisioned. Senator Hatch said, “This is a monumental bill that people from across the political spectrum can wholeheartedly endorse.”

"The introduction of this bill, with such broad bipartisan support, is a tribute to the hard work and conviction of Sens. Hatch and Harkin, who worked tirelessly to get it done. This is a major victory for the disability community,” said Sandy Finucane, Epilepsy Foundation vice president, legal and government affairs. "We are pleased and grateful to the Senate for supporting this critical legislation."

The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a similar bill, also entitled the ADA Amendments Act (H.R. 3195), by an overwhelming margin, 402-17. Epilepsy Foundation advocates and affiliates will continue their outreach to garner the same level of support for the Senate legislation.

The ADA Amendments Act was introduced on July 31, 2008 by Sens. Harkin and Hatch and now has over 60 cosponsors: Sens. Kennedy, Enzi, Specter, Obama, McCain, Dodd, Gregg, Clinton, Alexander, Johnson, Roberts, Kerry, Coleman, Feingold, Snowe, Leahy, Dole, Burr, Brown, Smith, Durbin, Murkowski, Lautenberg, Warner, Sanders, Brownback, Reed, Martinez, Mikulski, Isakson, Casey, Craig, Murray, Bennett, Landrieu, Collins, Biden, Allard, Nelson, Sununu, Cardin, Thune, Levin, Barrasso, McCaskill, Crapo, Schumer, Stevens, Salazar, Voinovich, Tester, Cochran, Reid, Luger, Chambliss, Boxer, Feinstein, Klobuchar, Stabenow, Kohl, Lincoln, Menendez, Whitehouse, Cantwell and Wyden.

To learn more about the ADA Amendments Act, visit www.adabill.com.