Skip to main content

Celebrating the Americans with Disabilities Act; Responding to the Oil Spill; Moving America Forward

July 30, 2010
Pelosi Update

Celebrating the Americans with Disabilities Act
On Monday, we celebrated the 20th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Over the past 20 years, the ADA has stood as a shining example of progress for the world to follow. It was my honor to give the speaker’s gavel to Congressman Jim Langevin of Rhode Island, the first quadriplegic to serve in Congress, marking the first time a Member in a wheelchair has ever presided over the House of Representatives.

Langevin.JPGCongresswoman Pelosi applauds after giving the gavel to Congressman Langevin,
the first Member in a wheelchair to preside over the House.

Responding to the Oil Spill
In the wake of the disastrous BP oil spill, Congress is acting on its commitment to protect America’s families and businesses, rebuild the Gulf Coast, hold BP and oil companies accountable, and work to ensure that such a spill never happens again.

Today, the House passed an oil spill response package that includes the Consolidated Land, Energy, and Aquatic Resources (CLEAR) Act – a bill that strengthens safety and oversight measures, removes the $75 million cap on economic damages to be paid by Big Oil to families and small businesses, and restores the Gulf Coast. The package also includes the Offshore Oil and Gas Worker Whistleblower Protection Act, which protects workers who report violations or practices that endanger the public to state and federal government authorities.

Today’s action builds on legislation already passed by the House to ensure fair compensation for the families of those killed or injured as a result of the BP oil spill, ample resources to respond to the spill, and investments in research to help us develop safer drilling technologies and prevent an accident like the BP disaster from ever happening again.

Moving America Forward
This week, respected economists Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, and Alan Blinder, former vice chairman of the Fed, issued a report that found that government rescue and recovery efforts – including the Recovery Act – probably averted “The Great Depression 2.0.” The report estimated that without the Democratic Congress’ swift action, Americans would have lost 16.6 million jobs – about twice as many as we actually lost – and the unemployment rate would have peaked at 16.5 percent.

Congressional Republicans continue to vote in lock-step against each and every job creation measure, saying that they support the “exact same” failed economic policies of the Bush Administration that got us into this mess. We are not going back. Instead, we will move America forward, ensuring middle-class American families and small businesses continue to see tax relief.

Please feel free to forward this information to your family and friends. To learn more about these efforts, to express your views, or to sign up for email updates, please visit my Web site. I am now on Twitter https://twitter.com/SpeakerPelosi.