Urge Governor Perry to Sign House Bill (HB) 978, the “Texans with
Disabilities Act,” into Law – Today!
HB 978 is now in the Governor’s office for signature. Governor
Perry’s signature is needed for HB 978 to become law in the State of
Texas. HB 978 has made it through the Texas State Legislature with
bi-partisan support in the House and unanimous support in the Senate.
We have come a long way. Just as our State Representatives and
Senators needed to hear from us, so does Governor Perry and his office
staff. Please call and write Governor Perry and ask him to sign HB 978
today!
Call Governor Perry and leave a message on the Citizen’s Opinion
Hotline at: (800) 252-9600.
To email Governor Perry go to http://governor.state.tx.us/contact
and email Katherine Yoder at [email protected].
If you decide to mail a letter, please Cc: Katherine Yoder. The
Governor’s Staff is analyzing bills now. It is important to include
Katherine Yoder on your correspondence and to contact Governor Perry
immediately. Following is an example you can use in your letter or
email message. Remember to include your name, address, and telephone
number at the end. Thank you for your support!
Tracey and Friends
http://yourvotecountsp2.wordpress.com
(Sample Letter)
Dear Governor Perry,
Please follow the path of President George W. Bush and sign House
Bill 978, the “Texans with Disabilities Act.”
House Bill 978 had bi-partisan support in the Texas House and passed
unanimously in the Texas Senate.
Last September President George W. Bush signed the ADA Amendments Act
into law, stating that the original ADA was “instrumental in
allowing individuals with disabilities to fully participate in our
economy and society,” and that his administration supported this
effort “to enhance its protections.” In essence, H.B. 978 will
make sure that Texas disability law will conform with the ADA
Amendments Act of 2008.
The ADA Amendments Act was the product of extensive bipartisan effort
by stakeholders in both the disability and the business community, and
it largely reflects a bipartisan consensus. The major reason for its
passage was that certain U.S. Supreme Court and lower court decisions
refused to recognize many conditions as disabilities, including, for
example, amputation, intellectual disabilities, epilepsy, multiple
sclerosis, diabetes, muscular dystrophy, and cancer. The Amendments
Act rejects those court opinions and clarifies the terminology used in
the definition of disability.
H.B. 978 will ensure that:
• Texas law will conform to the ADA as it has been clarified with
bipartisan consensus, passed by unanimous consent, and having been
signed into law by President George W. Bush;
• Texas law will continue to “provide for the execution of the
policies embodied in Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of
1990 and its subsequent amendments,” as set out in Tex. Labor Code
§ 21.001(3);
• Texas law will conform to the federal consensus among
stakeholders in both the disability and the business communities,
including, for example, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Disabled
American Veterans, the National Association of Manufacturers, the
Society for Human Resource Management, the Human Resource Policy
Association, the American Diabetes Association, the Epilepsy
Foundation, and the National Council of Independent Living Centers,
who described the ADA Amendments Act as “an appropriate balance
between the needs of individuals with disabilities and those of
employers.”
• Texans will be protected from discrimination on the basis of such
conditions as cancer, epilepsy, diabetes, intellectual disabilities,
amputations, multiple sclerosis, and muscular dystrophy;
• Employers and employees will have a single legal standard that
governs their conduct (rather than facing differing standards under
state and federal law);
• The Texas Workforce Commission will have a single legal standard
applicable to their investigation of charges of disability
discrimination (which among other things will simplify their continued
operation as the state “fair employment practices” agency);
• Protects veterans who were disabled in Iraq and Afghanistan from
discrimination when they return to the workforce;
• Promotes keeping the disabled in the workforce and off the
welfare rolls.
Thus, please sign H.B. 978 to conform Texas law to the ADA Amendments
Act of 2008 signed into law by President George W. Bush.
Thank you,
(Your Name)
(Your Address)
(Your Telephone Number)