2015
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 15-012
       
       
       BY SENATOR(S) Aguilar and Grantham, Balmer, Baumgardner,
       Carroll, Cooke, Crowder, Donovan, Garcia, Guzman, Heath, Hill,
       Hodge, Holbert, Jahn, Johnston, Jones, Kefalas, Kerr, Lambert,
       Lundberg, Marble, Martinez Humenik, Merrifield, Neville T., Newell,
       Roberts, Scheffel, Scott, Sonnenberg, Steadman, Todd, Ulibarri, Woods,
       Cadman;
       also REPRESENTATIVE(S) Lontine and Landgraf, Arndt, Becker J.,
       Becker K., Brown, Buck, Buckner, Carver, Conti, Coram, Court,
       Danielson, DelGrosso, Duran, Esgar, Fields, Foote, Garnett, Ginal,
       Hamner, Humphrey, Joshi, Kagan, Keyser, Klingenschmitt, Kraft-Tharp,
       Lawrence, Lebsock, Lee, Lundeen, McCann, Melton, Mitsch Bush,
       Moreno, Navarro, Nordberg, Pabon, Pettersen, Primavera, Priola,
       Rankin, Ransom, Rosenthal, Roupe, Ryden, Salazar, Sias, Singer, Tate,
       Thurlow, Tyler, Van Winkle, Vigil, Willett, Williams, Wilson,
       Windholz, Winter, Young, Hullinghorst.
       
       
          CONCERNING RECOGNITION OF THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY
       OF THE SIGNING INTO LAW OF THE "AMERICANS WITH
       DISABILITIES ACT OF 1990". 
       
       
          WHEREAS, On July 26, 1990, President George H. W. Bush signed
       the "Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990" (ADA) into law; and
       
          WHEREAS, This historic act was the world's first comprehensive
       declaration of equality for people with disabilities, and its passage made
       the United States the international leader on this human rights issue; and
       
          WHEREAS, Approximately 18.7 percent of the United States
       population has some kind of disability; and
       
          WHEREAS, Approximately 6.2 percent of Coloradans have a
       significant health problem or disability; and
       
          WHEREAS, The ADA prohibits discrimination against individuals
       with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, transportation,
       and all public and private places that are open to the general public; and
       
          WHEREAS, The purpose of the ADA is to make sure that people with
       disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else; and
       
          WHEREAS, The ADA established a clear and comprehensive national
       mandate for the elimination of discrimination against individuals with
       disabilities; and
       
          WHEREAS, The ADA has expanded opportunities for Americans
       with disabilities by reducing barriers, changing perceptions, and
       increasing full participation in community life; and
       
          WHEREAS, On July 26, 2015, we will celebrate the 25th anniversary
       of the signing of the ADA; now, therefore,
       
          Be It Resolved by the Senate of the Seventieth General Assembly of the
       State of Colorado, the House of Representatives concurring herein:
       
          (1)  That we, the members of the Colorado General Assembly,
       recognize the significance and intent of President George H.W. Bush in
       his efforts to secure access, inclusion, and independence for people with
       disabilities;
       
          (2)  That we honor and support this legacy by encouraging legitimate
       and substantive efforts to secure inclusion in society by seeking to
       eliminate barriers to employment, essential health care, and physical and
       sensory access for people with disabilities in Colorado;
       
          (3)  That we honor and support this legacy by encouraging the
       Colorado executive branch to seek the guidance of the disability
       community and consumer advocates in the development of services and
       supports that are efficient and effective in their mission to eliminate
       segregation of persons with disabilities from society;
       
          (4)  That we celebrate and recognize the progress that has been made
       by reaffirming the principles of equality and inclusion; and
       
          (5)  That the Colorado General Assembly hereby reaffirms that
       Colorado will work toward full ADA compliance.
       
          Be It Further Resolved, That copies of this Joint Resolution be sent to
       the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station,
       Texas; United States Senator Tom Harkin; United States Senator Bob
       Dole; Yoshiko Dart; Lloyd Lewis, Executive Director of Arc Thrift;
       Frances Owens of Arc Thrift; Dave Henninger, Executive Director of
       Bayaud Enterprises; Julie Reiskin, Executive Director of the Colorado
       Cross-Disability Coalition; all Arc chapters in the state of Colorado;
       Michelle Sie Whitten of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation; Mark
       Cunningham and Christina Worner of Atlantis Community Inc; Jeff
       Hirota of The Denver Foundation; the Colorado Statewide Independent
       Living Council; the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation in the Colorado
       Department of Human Services; Julie Farrar of the Colorado
       Developmental Disabilities Council; the Colorado Traumatic Brain Injury
       Board; Reggie Bicha, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of
       Human Services; Colorado ADAPT; Stephen Block, Executive Director
       of Rocky Mountain Human Services; Barry Rosenburg; Sheila
       Bugdanowitz, President and CEO of the Rose Community Foundation;
       Sue Birch, Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Health Care
       Policy and Financing; Joelle Brouner, Director for Community Access at
       the State of Colorado Division of Vocational Rehabilitation; the Colorado
       Advisory Council for Persons with Disabilities; Josh Winkler; the State
       Rehabilitation Council; Mary Anne Harvey and Randy Chapman of
       Disability Law Colorado; Tim Fox and Amy Robertson of the Civil
       Rights Education and Enforcement Center; Scott LaBarre, President of
       the National Federation of the Blind of Colorado; Peter Konrad; Dace
       West, Executive Director of Mile High Connects; Julie Deden, Executive
       Director of the Colorado Center for the Blind; the Colorado Association
       of the Deaf; the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill - Colorado; the
       Disability Business Technical Assistance Center in Colorado Springs; the
       Brain Injury Association of Colorado; Romaine Pacheco, Director of the
       Governor's Office of Boards and Commissions; disability advocate        Kristen Castor of Pueblo; disability advocate Hope Krause of Fort
       Morgan; disability advocate Rochelle Larson of Grand Junction; and the
       Association of Colorado Centers for Independent Living.
       
       
       
       
       
       ____________________________  ____________________________
       Bill L. Cadman               Dickey Lee Hullinghorst
       PRESIDENT OF                    SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE
       THE SENATE                        OF REPRESENTATIVES
       
       
       
       
       
       
       ____________________________  ____________________________
       Cindi L. Markwell                     Marilyn Eddins
       SECRETARY OF                CHIEF CLERK OF THE HOUSE
       THE SENATE                        OF REPRESENTATIVES