Joe Biden and the Crime Victims with Disabilities Act of 2007

27 August 2008 Denver, CO USA Tonight Senator Joe Biden received the Democratic Party’s nomination for Vice-President of the United States. Less than one year ago on Oct 25th, Senator Biden introduced the Crime Victims with Disabilities Act of 2007 as part of Senate Bill 2237, Crime Control and Prevention Act of 2007. Biden has also advocated for expanding Federal Hate Crimes Legislation to include bias crimes against people with disabilities and has been strong supporter of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Obama has also pledged to get the US to sign on the the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and was an original sponsor of the Bill to expand hate crime legislation to cover disability. This may be starting out like a paid political announcement for Obama-Biden, but it’s not. It is, however, a plea to everyone who cares about crimes against people with disabilities and the general welfare of Americans with disabilities to get involved with the upcoming election. We need to be asking BOTH PARTIES what they will do if elected to move the agenda for people with disabilities forward. Will Obama and Biden put the Crime Victims with Disabilities Act high on their legislative agenda?

Will McCain and his soon-to-be-announced running make commit to doing as much or more? Ask them, maybe they will. McCain considers himself to be a severely disabled American. He receives a $53,358 a year pension from the Navy and pays no taxes on it. The percentage that is taxable is based on the seriousness of the disability, and his exemption is 100% indicating that he has a severe disability. So, maybe a President with a severe disability would be sympathetic to the cause. McCain supported the ADA and the John McCain website has as section on Americans with Disabilities for McCain. John McCain has also pledged to strengthen the ADA and step up enforcement if elected.

These questions need to be asked NOW and not after the election. Regardless of the outcome of the election or the party affiliations of your local representatives in the House and Senate, let them know that you care about the Crime Victims with Disabilities Act. The next meeting of the Senate is Aug 29, 2008; the House next meets Sep 8, 2008.

For details of the Crime Victims with Disabilities Act, the full text can be viewed at Open Congress.  Then look for TITLE IX–CRIME VICTIMS Subtitle A–Crime Victims With Disabilities Act of 2007, almost at the bottom of the page. Here is a quick couple of excerpts:

In General- The purpose of this subtitle is to increase the awareness, investigation, prosecution, and prevention of crimes against individuals with a disability, including developmental disabilities, and improve services to those who are victimized, by facilitating collaboration among the criminal justice system and a range of agencies and other organizations that provide services to individuals with disabilities.

•  (b) Need for Collaboration- Collaboration among the criminal justice system and agencies and other organizations that provide services to individuals with disabilities is needed to–
• (1) protect individuals with disabilities by ensuring that crimes are reported, and that reported crimes are actively investigated by both law enforcement agencies and agencies and other organizations that provide services to individuals with disabilities;           

  (2) provide prosecutors and victim assistance organizations with adequate training to ensure that crimes against individuals with disabilities are appropriately and effectively addressed in court;

  (3) identify and ensure that appropriate reasonable accommodations are provided to individuals with disabilities in a safe and conducive environment, allowing crimes to be reported accurately to law enforcement agencies; and

  (4) promote communication among criminal justice agencies, and agencies and other organizations that provide services to individuals with disabilities, including Victim Assistance Organizations, to ensure that the needs of crime victims with disabilities are met.

Also see, Obama challenges McCain on stalled hate crimes bill

Tags: Biden, Crime Victims with Disabilities Act, Matthew Shepard Hate Crime Bill, McCain, Obama, Political Action