Big Social Media Boss Stands in Way of Financial Well-being of Conservatives

When is it okay for someone to stop you from making a living simply because they don't like you or what you believe? In true Revelation apocalyptic prophetic style, how long before all those who call themselves "Christian" are kept from making money at all, unless they publicly renounce their faith?

It's coming to that. Check this out:

YouTube demonetizes conservative commentator one day after saying he didn't violate its rules
Source: The Hill
June 5, 2019
YouTube on Wednesday announced it will no longer allow a conservative commentator accused of online harassment to make money from ads on his videos, just one day after the company said he had not broken any of the platform's rules.

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Civil Rights Leaders Join Forces with Nation's Mayors

Source: National Urban League

Washington, D.C. - October 31, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- The United States Conference of Mayors, led by President and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, and Marc Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League, convened prominent civil rights leaders and a delegation of the nation’s mayors to discuss a national agenda to protect civil rights and ensure economic inclusion. The group convened at the historic Gracie Mansion with host NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio around a common purpose and shared vision for creating a better future for Americans hardest hit by inequality.

The group committed to developing both a slate of local policy initiatives they can work to implement themselves and recommendations for action at the federal level, emerging with a series of short- and long-term imperatives including fights to domestic budget cuts that will stagnate earnings, household incomes and economic growth across all communities. The nation’s mayors and civil rights leaders also stressed the importance of ensuring the 2020 Census count is fair and accurate and combatting bigotry and hate while addressing racially motivated violence.

“Whatever your political leanings, there’s no denying that there is a paralysis in Washington, D.C. We can disagree about the cause, and we can disagree about the remedy, but one thing we are not going to disagree about is the fact that we can’t wait for it to resolve itself,” said Marc Morial, President of the National Urban League. “We are moving forward, and this is where we begin.”

“Mayors are closest to communities and prioritize people, not politics,” said US Conference of Mayors President Mitch Landrieu, Mayor of New Orleans. “In the 1960s, when the Civil Rights movement was underway, people moved out of cities and into the suburbs, but now, the opposite is happening. As a result, mayors must be focused on policies and programs that lift up and benefit all of our communities and we don’t have time to wait on Washington. Here’s the reality, while we’d like to have the Federal government as a real partner, the greatness of America will stand in spite of what’s happening in Washington. If we build new partnerships and work together, we can change the way our country works through big issues like fairness, immigration reform, and economic security. We are confident that through the conversations we started today, we can find common ground, identify best practices and build a long and fruitful relationship that will significantly impact our country."

In attendance at the meeting were Mayor Christopher Cabaldon (West Sacramento, Calif.), Mayor Greg Fischer (Louisville, Ky.), Mayor Michael Hancock (Denver, Co.), Mayor Toni Harp (New Haven, Conn.), Mayor Catherine Pugh (Baltimore), Mayor Allison Silberberg (Alexandria, Va.), Mayor Paul Solberg (Madison, Wis.), and Mayor Richard Thomas (Mount Vernon, NY).

Leadership from the US Black Chambers, Inc., National Coalition for Black Civic Participation, National Newspapers Publishers Association, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, National Immigration Law Center, Anti-Defamation League, Enterprise Community Partners, US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, National Action Network and Asian Americans Advancing Justice.

“We are here because we are fighting for the soul of this country and the future of this country, said Mayor Steve Benjamin of Columbia, SC and Vice President of the US Conference of Mayors. “Cities are where things are happening; 85% of Americans live in cities and 91% of the country’s GDP comes from cities. If we can come together, we can determine policies. It’s our job to tell the world we are greater than the sum of our parts.”

"Rarely have we seen a time where it was so important for mayors and civil rights leaders to come together," said Mayor Bill de Blasio. "Inequality is the crisis of our time. One underpinned by institutional and structural racism, and one that together we can work to solve. I am proud to be joined by a coalition of strong mayors and civil rights leaders who all know that cities are places of change. In a time of hostility towards cities from Washington, together we'll lead the way.”

Check out all the news and MORE at The Ponder News Web Site

Deadline Looms for U.S. Report to the UN on Racial Discrimination

And?...

Source: NAACP

Washington, D.C. - October 24, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- On this day seventy years ago, the NAACP submitted a petition, “An Appeal to the World” edited by W.E.B. Du Bois to the United Nations to address the denial of human rights to African Americans in the United States. Our organizations commemorate the 70th anniversary of this historic document and affirm our commitment to the goals of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) and the significance of the upcoming U.N. review of United States’ record on ending racism and racial discrimination in the United States.

The ICERD is the principal human rights treaty designed to protect individuals and groups from discrimination based on race, color, descent, or national or ethnic origin, whether the discrimination is intentional or the result of seemingly neutral policies. After the last U.N. review in 2014, the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination which monitors compliance with ICERD, issued Concluding Observations expressing concerns over prevalent racial discrimination in the United States that Du Bois first voiced in 1947.

Among other observations, the Committee expressed concern over, but not limited to: 1) the practice of racial profiling of and police violence against racial and ethnic minorities, 2) lack of equal access to quality education and the ongoing segregation in schools, 3) the unfairly and disproportionately use of discipline in schools based on race, including more frequent referral to the criminal justice system of racial and ethnic minorities , and 4) the ongoing weakening of the Voting Rights Act and the obstacles to the vote such as restrictive voter ID laws, gerrymandering and felony disfranchisement laws.

The United States ratified the ICERD in 1994 and is obligated to uphold and promote the human rights protections detailed in the treaty, including in the areas of education, housing, criminal justice, health, voting, labor, access to justice, and more. The deadline for the Trump administration to submit its report to the U.N. CERD committee is November 17, 2017. Civil and human rights groups in the United States urge the Trump administration to submit a comprehensive report, which thoroughly reviews both U.S. progress and setbacks in implementing the ICERD and 2014 Concluding Observations on the federal, state and local levels. The CERD periodic review process is the world’s answer to W.E.B. DuBois’ Appeal and the U.S. still has a long way to go to address structural discrimination and the inequities DuBois detailed in his historic appeal.

ORGANIZATIONAL QUOTES:

Kristen Clarke, President and Executive Director, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law: Seventy years ago, W.E.B. DuBois spearheaded an Appeal to the World that detailed the discrimination faced by racial minorities in the United States. Today, the fight against discrimination is ongoing as many fear the country is heading in the wrong direction. The review of U.S. compliance with the CERD treaty offers an opportunity for both reflection and action. We must continue to move our nation towards the ideals of democracy and work to be the exemplar for all democracies across the globe.

Derrick Johnson, NAACP President and CEO: “We request that the American government pay heed to the racial injustices that Du Bois and his NAACP colleagues exposed seventy years ago. Du Bois’ warning, that a ‘great nation, which today ought to be in the forefront of the march toward peace and democracy, finds itself continuously making common cause with race hate,’ rings all too true today. America’s greatness can only be realized if it models integrity and inclusivity and is willing to confront the inequities that still persist within its democracy and society.”

Jamil Dakwar, Director of ACLU Human Rights Program: “We continue to be inspired by DuBois’ vision and actions of holding the United States internationally accountable for failure to end structural racism and racial discrimination. Today, we are especially concerned about the rise of white supremacy, racism, and xenophobia. We are also troubled by federal government statements and actions such as rollback of civil rights enforcement efforts since January 2017 that will only widen existing racial disparities. The world is and will continue to be watching and we will not rest until DuBois’ vision for racial equality is fully realized.”

Colette Pichon Battle, Executive Director of the US Human Rights Network: “Now more than ever we must heed the appeal of Dr. W.E.B Dubois and connect the human rights movement in the US to the struggle for justice across the global south. What was true 70 years ago holds true today, we must support the voice and follow the vision of those most directly impacted if we are to see long-term change for a better America.”


ABOUT THE ORGANIZATIONS:

LAWYERS’ COMMITTEE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS UNDER LAW: The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, was formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to involve the private bar in providing legal services to address racial discrimination. Now in its 54th year, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is continuing its quest “Move America Toward Justice.” The principal mission of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is to secure, through the rule of law, equal justice for all, particularly in the areas of criminal justice, fair housing and community development, economic justice, educational opportunities, and voting rights.

NAACP: Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities. You can read more about the NAACP’s work and our six “Game Changer” issue areas by visiting www.NAACP.org.

ACLU: The ACLU is a nationwide, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization with offices in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. and more than one million members. For nearly a century, the ACLU has been working in courts, legislatures, and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties that the Constitution, laws and treaties of the United States guarantee everyone in this country.

US HUMAN RIGHTS NETWORK: The US Human Rights Network (USHRN) is a national network of organizations and individuals working to strengthen a human rights movement and culture within the United States led by the people most directly impacted by human rights violations. It is a network of over 300 organizational members that is working to popularize human rights in communities across the United States in order to secure dignity and justice for all. www.ushrnetwork.org

AG Reverses Policy on Gender-Identity Rights

Source: Liberty Counsel

Washington, D.C. - October 12, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a new memorandum stating that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bans gender discrimination, but does not include sexual orientation or gender identity, in the workplace.

Title VII specifically bars employers from discriminating against employees based on sex, race, color, national origin and religion. The Attorney General officially withdrew a 2014 Obama-era policy protecting so-called "transgender" employees from discrimination under Title VII. The Attorney General stated that the Department of Justice will no longer interpret Title VII to mean that the law's protections extend to discrimination based on gender identity. Sessions said the change will apply to "all pending and future matters" relating to "transgender" workers, which means that it could have an immediate impact on open discrimination cases.

Sessions wrote in the memo: "Title VII expressly prohibits discrimination 'because of…sex'…and several other protected traits, but it does not refer to gender identity. "Sex is ordinarily defined to mean biologically male or female. Congress has confirmed this ordinary meaning by expressly prohibiting, in several other statutes, 'gender identity' discrimination, which Congress lists in addition to, rather than within, prohibitions on discrimination based on 'sex' or 'gender.' Accordingly, Title VII's prohibition on sex discrimination encompasses discrimination between men and women but does not encompass discrimination based on gender identity per se, including transgender status. Therefore, as of the date of this memorandum, which hereby withdraws the December 15, 2014, memorandum, the Department of Justice will take that position in all pending and future matters…"

"Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 has never included sexual orientation or gender identity," said Mat Staver (photo), Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel. "We commend Attorney General Jeff Sessions for ending the Obama-era policy that purported to allow Title VII to be interpreted to include so-called "transgender" employee rights," said Staver.

Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit, litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics.

VICTORY: Kountze Cheerleaders Win at Texas Appeals Court

Source: First Liberty

Washington, D.C. - October 9, 2017 - (The Ponder News) -- In yet another win and precedent for private speech protected by the First Amendment, the Texas Court of Appeals for the Ninth District last week ruled in favor of the Kountze, TX cheerleaders who were banned from including Bible verses on run-through banners at football games. The school district prohibited the banners after receiving a demand letter from the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF), and was also supported by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

“This is another great victory for the free speech and religious liberty rights of all Texas students,” Kelly Shackelford, President and CEO of First Liberty Institute, stated in a press release. “Hopefully this ruling will bring clarity and closure to this issue for all Texas students and schools.”

“We are pleased that once again religious liberty is vindicated and that cheerleaders across the state of Texas have the right to have religious messages on banners at high school football games,” stated Hiram Sasser, General Counsel to First Liberty. “No school district should be able to censor, ban, or claim ownership of the private religious speech of its students.”

CHEERLEADERS PAINT VERSES ON BANNERS…AND THE FFRF TAKES NOTICE

The case began back in 2012, when cheerleaders in Kountze, Texas, decided to paint Bible verses on run-through banners for football games. The Wisconsin-based FFRF, however, caught wind of what the cheerleaders were doing and sent a letter to the school district. The Kountze ISD responded by banning the cheerleaders from painting the verses on the banners.

The cheerleaders decided to stand up for their religious freedom rights. First Liberty and volunteer attorney David Starnes filed a lawsuit on their behalf and won at the district court level.

At that point, the school district appealed, with the ACLU filing a brief in support of Kountze ISD. The school district decided to allow the banners, and the court of appeals declared the case moot. However, the school district still claimed the cheerleaders’ banners to be government speech subject to the school’s censorship.

First Liberty, with Starnes and Jim Ho of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, as lead counsel, appealed the mootness ruling to the Texas Supreme Court. First Liberty asked the Texas Supreme Court to review the case and reaffirm the cheerleaders’ rights.

U.S. Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn filed an amicus brief in support of the cheerleaders, and so did Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

VICTORY FOR THE CHEERLEADERS

In January 2016, the Texas Supreme Court ruled  8-0 in favor of the cheerleaders and remanded the case back to the Ninth District. Then, on September 28, 2017, the Ninth District ruled completely in favor of the cheerleaders.

In his opinion, Justice Charles Kreger of the Ninth District wrote that “the Cheerleaders’ speech…is best characterized as the pure private speech of the students.”

“All these cheerleaders have ever wanted is the opportunity to cheer on their classmates with a message of their own choosing and their own faith,” David Starnes stated in the press release issued the same day as the ruling. “Today’s decision provides just that opportunity.”

The ruling also demonstrates the power of legal precedent. The opinion cited many precedents, including two First Liberty cases: Morgan v. Swanson (better known as the Plano “Candy Cane Case” ) and the case of Pounds v. Katy ISD.

In the “Candy Cane Case,” the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit upheld the religious freedom rights of elementary students banned by school officials from giving religiously-themed gifts at Christmastime. Justice Kreger included several quotes from Morgan v. Swanson in his analysis of the Kountze case.

STUDENTS HAVE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS AT SCHOOL

As U.S. Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas wrote in his famous Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969) opinion, “It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.”

First Liberty Institute is committed to protecting religious freedom in the sphere of education and has successfully represented clients from elementary school to the university level. For more information about religious liberty in the public schools, download First Liberty’s free Religious Liberty Protection Kit for Students and Teachers.

WASHINGTON STATE PARENT SUES EMPLOYER FOR DENYING INSURANCE COVERAGE TO TRANSGENDER SON

Source: American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

Seattle, WA - October 6, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- The ACLU of Washington filed a civil rights lawsuit today against PeaceHealth, a Catholic healthcare organization, on behalf of Cheryl Enstad and her teenage son, Pax, for denying coverage under its health benefits plan for medically necessary surgery to Pax simply because of who he is. The suit says that PeaceHealth’s policy of refusing to cover medical care required by transgender people is discrimination and violates federal and state law.

Pax Enstad is a boy who is transgender, meaning that while the sex assigned to him at birth was female, he has a male gender identity. He was diagnosed with gender dysphoria, a serious medical condition marked by persistent and clinically significant distress caused by incongruence between an individual’s gender identity and that individual’s sex designated at birth.

Gender dysphoria is a condition codified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) and International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10). To treat Pax’s gender dysphoria, Pax’s doctor prescribed chest reconstruction surgery.

PeaceHealth refused to cover the surgery, citing a policy of excluding all “transgender services.” The lawsuit asserts PeaceHealth’s blanket policy of refusing to pay for medically necessary healthcare for otherwise covered transgender individuals simply because of who they are discriminates on the basis of sex and gender identity, violates the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Washington Law Against Discrimination (WLAD), and is harmful to the health of transgender individuals.

“PeaceHealth’s blanket of exclusion of ‘transgender services’ is not based on standards of medical care,” said ACLU-WA Staff Attorney Lisa Nowlin. “This is discrimination, and it is plainly illegal. Under state and federal law, no company is allowed to single out and exclude one group of individuals from medical care that is prescribed for them by their doctors and that the company routinely provides for others.”

In the past, some public and private insurance companies excluded coverage for gender dysphoria (or “transition-related care”) based on the erroneous assumption that such treatments were cosmetic or experimental. Today, however, every major medical organization recognizes that such exclusions have no basis in medical science and that transition-related care is effective for the treatment of gender dysphoria.

Discrimination by healthcare providers routinely causes transgender people to delay or forgo preventative and necessary medical care, putting them at greater risk for illnesses and increasing their risk of suicide.

If left untreated, gender dysphoria can lead to debilitating anxiety, depression, self-harm, and even suicide. Pax suffered from debilitating depression and anxiety as a result of gender dysphoria that began at age 11, when he started to enter puberty. His grades at school fell; he was unable to participate in activities such as swimming and athletics; he wore several layers of clothing to hide his chest from view; and he eventually avoided going outside altogether. Pax’s gender dysphoria became so severe that he had to wear a binder to flatten his chest 24 hours a day.

As a result of PeaceHealth’s exclusion for “transgender services,” Cheryl Enstad and her husband were forced to take a second mortgage on their house and use some of Pax’s college savings funds to pay over $10,000 out-of-pocket for the chest-reconstruction surgery prescribed to Pax by his doctor.

“We were willing to do whatever it took to get Pax the medical care he needed — as any parent would,” Cheryl Enstad said. “When your child is singled out and rejected simply for being themselves, it’s heartbreaking, and it isn’t fair. We’re bringing this lawsuit to ensure no family has to go through what we did.”

The lawsuit asks the court to declare PeaceHealth’s blanket exclusion of “transgender services” discriminatory and illegal. It also seeks unspecified damages for the Plaintiffs.

The lawsuit, Enstad v. PeaceHealth, was filed in U.S. District Court in the Western District of Washington. PeaceHealth operates 70 sites in Washington, Oregon, and Alaska and has approximately 16,000 employees.

In addition to Nowlin, attorneys for the Enstads include Josh Block and Leslie Cooper with the ACLU LGBT & HIV Project and Denise Diskin and Beth Touschner of Teller & Associates.

Michigan funeral home asks appeals court to uphold respectful dress code for employees

by: Alliance Defending Freedom

Cincinnati, OH - October 6, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- A federal court ruled last year in favor of the funeral home, which the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued over the discharge of an employee who refused to comply with a requirement to dress in a manner sensitive to grieving family members and friends. The EEOC appealed the decision. ADF attorneys represent R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes, which has locations in Detroit, Garden City, and Livonia.

The EEOC’s appeal seeks to force the business’s owner to allow a biologically male employee to wear a female uniform while interacting with the public. The district court ruled that the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act protects the freedom of the business to maintain a dress code consistent with its sincerely held faith convictions.

“The government should respect the freedoms of those who wish to respectfully serve the grieving and vulnerable,” said Wardlow. “The federal government shouldn’t use employment law to strong-arm private business owners into violating their religious beliefs. The district court was right to affirm this, and we will vigorously encourage the 6th Circuit to uphold that ruling.”

The funeral home hired the male employee as a funeral director and embalmer at its Garden City location in 2007. Funeral directors at the company regularly interact with the public, including grieving family members and friends. After informing the funeral home of an intention to begin dressing as a female at work, the employee was dismissed for refusing to comply with the same company dress code that all other employees are required to follow while on the job.

As the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan acknowledged in its opinion and order in the case, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes, the company’s sole corporate officer and majority owner, Thomas Rost, is a Christian whose faith informs the way he operates his business and how he serves those who are deeply grieved by the loss of a loved one. Not only would Rost be violating his faith if he were to pay for and otherwise permit his employees to dress as members of the opposite sex while serving the grieving, the employee dress policy is intentionally sensitive to interaction with customers at an especially delicate time of their lives.

ADF attorneys argued that the funeral home did not violate Title VII, the federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in employment, and is, in fact, protected by RFRA, which says that the government cannot force someone like Rost to violate his faith unless it demonstrates that doing so is the “least restrictive means” of furthering a “compelling government interest.” The district court agreed that the EEOC’s actions violate RFRA.

Tax Reform, Graham-Cassidy Bill, Civil Rights, Immigrants, Hurricane Relief, Puerto Rico, Orange is the New Black

The Address to this page at The Ponder News is http://thepondernews.blogspot.com/2017/09/tax-reform-graham-cassidy-bill-civil.html

Because the number of our sources has grown so much, (We now have a total of 753 Sources, and are adding more every day) we, at The Ponder have decided to stop posting individual news items -- except for editorial commentary and special notices. I hope you like our new format. There are just too many news items for our limited staff to go through each day to be able to continue doing the news as we have been.

New Poll: 7 in 10 Americans Say Passing Tax Reform Should Be A Priority For Congress
American Action Network
Ahead of the “Big Six” unveiling details on a tax reform plan, the American Action Network’s Middle-Class Growth Initiative (MCGI) released results from a national survey on Americans’ views on tax reform. The survey finds overwhelming support for passing comprehensive tax reform with 73% of Americans saying it should be a top priority or an important priority for Congress. Additionally, the survey found Americans, across party lines, view lowering middle-class tax rates as the most important tax reform initiative.
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AAFP to Congress: Time to Work on Bipartisan Health Care Legislation
American Academy of Family Physicians
"The American Academy of Family Physicians is pleased that the U.S. Senate has determined that they will not proceed with efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act. We applaud those Senators who rejected this proposal and stood up for health care coverage for people in their state. With today’s withdrawal of the Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson amendment, we call on Congress to return to bipartisan negotiations aimed at amending and improving current law, not repealing it.
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ACLU COMMENT ON HOMELAND SECURITY NOTICE ON IMMIGRANTS’ SOCIAL MEDIA INFORMATION
American Civil Liberties Union
Faiz Shakir, American Civil Liberties Union national political director, had the following reaction to the Department of Homeland Security’s notice on immigrants’ social media information:
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AFSCME Pres. Lee Saunders Calls on Trump and Congress to Act on Puerto Rico
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
AFSCME Pres. Lee Saunders issued the following statement calling on President Trump and Congress to act on hurricane relief to Puerto Rico:
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AFT President Randi Weingarten on GOP’s Decision to Withdraw Graham-Cassidy
American Federation of Teachers
“Americans sent a message to Senate Republicans who thought a political win was more important than stripping millions of Americans of their healthcare: ‘Think again.’
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EVENT
Piper Kerman, Author of Orange is the New Black Keynotes American Probation and Parole Association
American Probation and Parole Association
The American Probation and Parole Association (APPA) will hold its 42nd Annual Training Institute at the Marriott Marquis-Times Square, August 27-30 with over 100 engaging sessions including three exciting keynotes. Piper Kerman, the author of the national best-selling memoir Orange Is The New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison (Spiegel & Grau), will be featured at the opening session on Sunday, August 27th. Piper will discuss her personal experiences and the state of criminal justice in America.
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Casey Statement on ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017

Source: Senator Robert P.Casey, Jr. (D - PA)

Washington, D.C. - September 9, 2017 (The Ponder News) -- U.S. Senator Bob Casey released the following statement following the House Judiciary Committee’s decision to advance H.R. 620, the ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017:

“Today, the House Judiciary Committee moved to gut the rights of people with disabilities to have equal access to restaurants, hotels, theaters, ball parks, web sites, and all places and services to which all non-disabled citizens have access. In 1990, Congress, through the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), affirmed the civil rights of all people with disabilities to have access to all businesses and services offered to the public. Those offering services to the public have had 27 years to make their services accessible to all. H.R. 620 would further delay making services and settings accessible and remove the incentive to make businesses and other public entities accessible for people with disabilities. Good legislation would provide support to help businesses comply with the ADA. I stand with the over 250 disability groups that oppose this approach and will fight to protect the civil rights as enshrined in the ADA.”