At first, I was really excited when I received email announcing Senator Joe Biden’s introduction of the Crime Victims with Disabilities Act – which reportedly occured yesterday, October 1st.
Unfortunately, except for the attached word document I received, and an email copy of a press release from the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), I couldn’t find anything on the web anywhere documenting the introduction of the bill. (AUCD is one of several prominent disability groups that have endorsed the bill)
I called Biden’s Senate office and they did confirm his introduction of the bill and directed me to the description of it at Thomas.gov – you can see S.3668 here. The text of the bill isn’t there yet, but probably will be there by next week. The staffer I talked to seemed oddly unenthusiastic and nonresponsive to my questions about posting any info about the bill on Biden’s Senate website.
This bill is a version of one he introduced last year, which I wrote about in an earlier entry. It looks like a good bill that recognizes that people with disabilities are especially vulnerable to crimes of violence – and that the criminal justice system hasn’t been doing a very good job of helping people even when perpetrators are charged.
It seems odd to me, on the day of the Vice-Presidential Debates, that Biden wouldn’t go a little out of his way to remind people in the disability community that he is attuned to at least one part of the lived reality of Americans with Disabilities.
After all, Sarah Palin, who has a young child with Down syndrome, created a huge stir among parents of all political persuasions when she said (to parents of “special needs children”):
“I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House.”
So far, she hasn’t said anything about or to people with disabilities themselves.
This would have been Biden’s chance.
Tip to Biden and staff: Next time, when you do a good thing, let people know. –Stephen Drake
Can’t find your contact information on your blog but wanted to send you this link to a story I think you have covered before that just came out on nurses in California: http://www.propublica.org/article/criminal-past-is-no-bar-to-nursing-in-california/#When:09:20:00Z
I’m not sure which staff person you spoke with, but Senator Biden’s Judiciary staff called the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL)Policy staff shortly before the Senator introduced the bill to ask for our support. NCILhas provided information to Senate Judiciary Committee staff over the past two ears and we are excited that the Vice Presidential Candidate has helped to raise awareness of this issue. Sen. Biden’s Judiciary Committee staff sought input from many disability groups over the past two years, while drafting this critical legislation. Indeed, the Senator’s statement included the supporters in his floor statement upon introduction: “The Association of University Centers on Disabilities, the National Center for Victims of Crime, the National Council on Independent Living, the National Disability Rights Network, the National Child Abuse Coalition, Easter Seals, the Arc of the United States, and United Cerebral Palsy have endorsed the bill.”
If you are interested in this issue, please contact Sen. Biden’s Judiciary staff. We won’t be included in policy development if we don’t get ourselves to the table.
ncildeb,
I guess my point wasn’t communicated clearly. I think the bill is a good one – I covered the fact that he’d introduced an earlier version in another post on the blog. So it’s also not a new concern of his, but one he’s been pushing for at least a couple of years.
My complaint is this:
The Senator’s office didn’t put out any statement on his reintroduction of the bill to the media, as far as I can tell. There is no mention of it on his website.
The press won’t cover this unless Biden’s office issues something. If his office put out a statement to the press, the general public might actually get to find out about it. –Stephen Drake
anaonymous,
Thanks! I’ll be writing on this later. –Stephen Drake
Wow, I hadn’t heard this news either! Thanks for the update.
bint,
I’m not surprised you haven’t heard about it. Senator Biden’s office hasn’t exactly been making the bill visible. It would be nice if they called a little attention to it. –Stephen
I went to a presentation on hate crimes that was given by the prosecutor in charge of prosecuting hate crimes in Cook County. I asked him afterwards if he’d prosecuted any cases where the victim of the hate crime was a person with mental retardation or mental illness. He said that in his two years as prosecutor, despite the fact that the law puts disability as a protected class, he hadn’t prosecuted any such cases.
Honestly, I think we need fewer laws and more awareness from legal people.
So unless it is a bill about how to process complaints from disabled people, or training law enforcement people, I don’t think it will do any good.