Pg 2 March 10, 2013 Volume 24, Number 1
EDITOR’S DESK
Tim Benjamin This legislative session has been a different experience for me. Usually, I am much more involved in tracking what is happening on many issues, following whose bills are going where, researching what committees are meeting, and scheduling my time to be at the particular floor debates I want to hear. And of course I want to attend the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities’ Tuesdays at the Capitol meetings. But this year isn’t usual. I haven’t gotten the “sense of urgency” bug about the session, and I did not even know about the lowered deficit forecast until March 3. I’ve got to do a lot of studying and watch some “game tapes” to get caught up. Not to get into a civics lesson, but the legislative session is in some ways like a basketball game. You can start watching in the fourth quarter and pretty much get the gist of what’s happening, but you haven’t learned a lot about the game of basketball or about the teams. By the time bills are first introduced, they’ve already been discussed among legislators, constituents, public policy wonks, commissioners, and lobbyists. After a legislator authors a newly proposed bill, it is assigned to a related committee, where
in hearings it is reviewed, researched and debated among many experts and affected citizens or organizations. Usually a bill ends up moving on to other committees that get more background information and do more review. In any of the committees, the bill could be held up and never really be seen again. But as in a basketball game, where the first three periods lay the groundwork for what will happen in the fourth quarter, the legislative session can only really be understood if you participate from the jump ball (or the opening bell). If you don’t get in on the groundwork, it’s hard to know if a bill is good for the community, especially as its language changes and a big provision gets deleted or a “little” one changes the bill entirely. If you’re not tracking the “ball” of a bill, you can’t know if it’s going to even make it to the floor for a final vote by both House and Senate and become law. When a basketball game goes into the fourth quarter, the fan who has watched the whole game may be able to predict what the final minute will look like and which team will win based on how they played the first three quarters. The citizen who has observed the whole legislative process is in the best position to make sense of the final few minutes on a floor vote and understand what it means for the community. Sometimes I think the disability advocates and lobbyists and others who regularly work at the capitol represent our whole community. But this last Saturday was kind of a revelation for me. I was reminded that I only know a small section of our community
when I went to a banquet held by Capable Partners www.capablepartners.org, a group of hunters and anglers with disabilities along with the volunteers who help them participate in outdoor activities. It’s a large organization of good people doing good work. When I went in, I was expecting to see at least a few people I knew, but I recognized only Dean Petersen, the group’s president, who had invited me. It was a packed house, a huge number of people, with every kind of disability and using every kind of mobility device. There were young and middle-aged men and women, seniors and children having fun and mingling with their friends— most of them dressed in camo, with a silent auction featuring hunting and fishing gear, and backed up by a video of successful expeditions. I came away wondering if enough of the disability community is actually on the hill advocating for everybody’s needs. How we can get the folks I met on Saturday night into the legislature to give their expert testimony, have their voices heard and make legislators aware of their needs? We must make sure that we’re doing the best, most informed work for our entire community. We need to have everybody at and in the game. We talk a lot about the differences in the disability community. However, do we really know what the differences are and accept them? My opinions on research had to be re-examined last month, and maybe this month my opinion needs to be re-examined on the interests of hunters and anglers. Maybe next month it will be re-examining super PACs? (Maybe not.) Have a safe month, use our advertisers, and try to get involved in the important game we call politics. ■
HISTORY NOTE
U.S. Dept of Labor marks centennial this year by Access Press staff
March 4, 1913, marked a milestone event in the history of the American workforce. On that day 100 years ago, President William Howard Taft—on his last day in office—reluctantly signed legislation creating the U.S. Department of Labor and giving workers a direct seat in the President’s Cabinet for the first time. Observance of the federal department’s centennial got underway last year, with the production of a centennial video, an interactive timeline, a series of historical posters and collection a of historical vignettes
Volume 24, Number 3 • Periodicals Imprint: Pending ISSN Co-Founder/Publisher Wm. A. Smith, Jr. (1990-1996) Co-Founder/Publisher/ Editor-in-Chief Charles F. Smith (1990-2001) Board of Directors Brigid Alseth Steve Anderson Kristin Jorenby Elin Ohlsson Halle O'Falvey Carrie Salberg Kay Willshire
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Cartoonist Distribution Scott Adams S. C. Distribution Editorial submissions and news releases on topics of interest to persons with disabilities, or persons serving those with disabilities, are welcomed. We reserve the right to edit all submissions. Editorial material does not necessarily reflect the view of the editor/publisher of Access Press. Paid advertising is available at rates ranging from $12 to $28 per column inch, depending on size and frequency of run. Classified ads are $14, plus 65 cents per word over 12 words. Advertising and editorial deadlines are the last day of the month preceding publication, except for employment ads, which are due by the 25th. Access Press is a monthly tabloid newspaper published for persons with disabilities by Access Press, Ltd. Circulation is 11,000, distributed the 10th of each month through more than 200 locations statewide. Approximately 450 copies are mailed directly to individuals, including political, business, institutional and civic leaders. Subscriptions are available for $30/yr. Lowincome, student and bulk subscriptions are available at discounted rates. Application to mail at Periodicals Postage Prices is Pending at the St. Paul, MN 55121 facility. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Access Press at 161 St. Anthony Ave, Suite 901, St. Paul, MN 55103. Inquiries and address changes should be directed to: Access Press care of The Kelly Inn Offices; 161 St. Anthony Ave; #910; St. Paul, MN 55103; 651-644-2133 Fax: 651-644-2136 email: access@accesspress.org www.accesspress.org
in its DOL newsletter—all designed to educate, inform and inspire the public about a rich and complex history. The website has many fun pieces of information about everything from when various pieces of legislation were signed to stories of people who played roles in U.S. labor history. Go to www.dol.gov/ Taft had lost his bid for another term and signed the legislation just hours before President-elect Woodrow Wilson took office. A federal Department of Labor was the product of a half-century campaign by organized labor and the Progressive Movement for a “Voice in the Cabinet.” When the federal Department of Labor was founded, treatment of workers was a huge concern nationally. Child labor was still common. Exploitation of workers in a variety of industries regularly made newspaper and magazine headlines. Workers of all ages often found themselves in unsafe conditions, working with no protection for low pay. One interesting bit of information on the Department of Labor’s website notes that on Dec. 16, 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. Legislative efforts to include age as a factor by which employers could not discriminate began with the Employment Opportunity
Act of 1962 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The lack of data on age discrimination in the workplace prompted Secretary of President William Howard Taft Labor Willard Wirtz to commission the report “The Older American Worker: Age Discrimination in Employment.” On the department’s centennial day, Kathy Martinez, assistant secretary of labor for disability employment policy, also had reason to celebrate. Martinez was among nine people honored by the Viscardi Center for their contributions to improving the quality of life of people with disabilities. The Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards recognizes contemporary members of the global disability community who have impacted the quality of life of people with disabilities. Martinez has been a tireless advocate for people with disabilities, creating opportunities for traditional diversity entities to collaborate with the disability community in true sustainable partnerships that can move toward full inclusion and real systems change. “This award is an honor, and it is very much in keeping with principles the Department of Labor has espoused throughout its 100-year history: advancing opportunities for profitable employment, protecting work-related benefits and rights, and guaranteeing fair compensation for all members of the diverse American workforce,” said Martinez. ■ The History Note is a monthly column sponsored by the Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities, www.mncdd.org and www.partnersinpolicy making.com