Iowa Senator Tom Harkin says he will not run for a 6th term next year. Harkin is 73 and been a member of the US Congress for nearly 30 years. A Democrat, he is the 7th most senior member of the body and chairs the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. His most significant achievement came in 1990 when he authored the Americans with Disabilities Act and helped it through the legislature. Harkin says the Americans with Disabilities Act was inspired by his deaf brother, Frank, whom he watched struggle against social barriers. The ADA law prohibits private employers, state and local governments, employment agencies and labor unions from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities in job application procedures, hiring, firing, advancement, compensation, job training and other conditions and privileges of employment.
Saturday, January 26, 2013
The man who crafted the ADA law is retiring
Iowa Senator Tom Harkin says he will not run for a 6th term next year. Harkin is 73 and been a member of the US Congress for nearly 30 years. A Democrat, he is the 7th most senior member of the body and chairs the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. His most significant achievement came in 1990 when he authored the Americans with Disabilities Act and helped it through the legislature. Harkin says the Americans with Disabilities Act was inspired by his deaf brother, Frank, whom he watched struggle against social barriers. The ADA law prohibits private employers, state and local governments, employment agencies and labor unions from discriminating against qualified individuals with disabilities in job application procedures, hiring, firing, advancement, compensation, job training and other conditions and privileges of employment.
