UN Treaty Vote

The US Senate is expected vote soon on a disabilities treaty. Majority Leader Harry Reid is moving forward with the United Nations-drafted Convention on the Rights of Persons and bringing it to the Senate floor today--even though 36 conservative senators’ say it's the wrong time to do so. Senator Mike Lee of Utah is leading the opposition while the treaty enjoys the support of rights advocates in the deaf community and editorials in newspapers like the Washington Post, which say the measure doesn't require the US to change any laws. Not all Republicans oppose the measure. Former Senator Bob Dole will speak on behalf of the legislation and it was orginally negotiated by the George H.W. Bush administration. While the US government signed the Convention on the Rights of Persons, it has not be ratified by the Senate. Although a procedural vote on the treaty last week passed 61-36, there will need to be 66 votes for it to pass the full Senate.