Subject: Clinton calls for passage of ENDA in Law Day Proclamation
From: [email-masked]
Date: Sat, 1 May 1999 12:56:01 -0400

THE WHITE HOUSE

                        Office of the Press Secretary
  _________________________________________________________
  For Immediate Release                    April 30, 1999

                            LAW DAY, U.S.A., 1999

                                - - - - - - -

              BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

                               A PROCLAMATION

     America's founders recognized that the rule of law is the greatest
  guarantor of freedom and justice, the crucial barricade protecting
  civilization from chaos, democracy from tyranny.  Among the chief
  grievances they enumerated in the Declaration of Independence were that
  "the present King of Great Britain . . . has refused his Assent to Laws,
  the most wholesome and necessary for the public Good. . . .  He has made
  Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the Tenure of their Offices, and
  the Amount and Payment of their Salaries."

     The Constitution and Bill of Rights reflect our founders' reverence
  for and faith in the rule of law, and they stand as an enduring charter
  of freedom and equality that continues to protect our fundamental rights
  today.  But only the passage of additional laws over time has fulfilled
  the promise of justice enshrined in that charter.  Amendments abolishing
  slavery and guaranteeing due process and equal protection to everyone
  came only after the Civil War -- nearly 80 years after the ratification
  of the Constitution.  It took almost another century, and the courageous
  and persistent efforts of lawyers such as Thurgood Marshall, to establish
  that the equal protection clause prohibits governments from enforcing
  segregation in schools and other public arenas.  Women did not gain the
  right to vote until the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920.

     During the past 4 decades, our Nation has continued to pursue the
  ideals of justice and equality.  President Kennedy and President Johnson
  fought to enact what would become the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the
  Voting Rights Act of 1965, laws that safeguard the rights of citizens to
  vote, to work, to use public accommo-dations, and to attend school free
  from illegal discrimination.  In 1967, President Johnson signed the Age
  Discrimination in Employment Act to protect older Americans against
  discriminatory treatment in their jobs.
     In 1990, President Bush signed into law the Americans with
  Disabilities Act, landmark legislation that recognizes the right of
  people with disabilities to have equal opportunity for employment and
  equal access to public services.  Building on the Americans with
  Disabilities Act, I announced a new initiative in January of this year to
  remove significant barriers that prevent people with disabilities from
  joining the work force.  We will invest more than two billion dollars
  over the next 5 years to provide tax credits to offset critical and
  expensive transportation costs, increased funding for assistive
  technology research, and greater access to health care for people with
  disabilities.

     In May of 1998, I was proud to sign Executive Order 13087, which
  amends Federal equal employment opportunity policy to prohibit
  discrimination based on sexual orientation in the Federal civilian work
  force.  My Administration is working with

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  congressional leaders to pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act
  (ENDA), which would prohibit most private employers from firing good
  workers solely because they are gay or lesbian.  And we must secure equal
  pay legislation to ensure that women and minority employees receive fair
  compensation for their work.

     America's trust in the rule of law and our continuing quest for
  equality under the law have defined our history for more than 200 years.
  Now, as we look forward to a new century, we must renew our commitment to
  the spirit of our Constitution and the strong foundation of civil rights
  laws that guarantee both our freedom and our security.  We must reaffirm
  our goal of building an America where all people have an equal
  oppor-tunity to reach their full potential and where no American
  is denied his or her rights because of race, national origin, gender,
  sexual orientation, religious beliefs, or disability.  By doing so, we
  will fulfill our founders' vision of a Nation where all citizens share
  equally in the blessings and protections of the law.

       NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United
  States of America, in accordance with Public Law 87-20 of April 7, 1961,
  do hereby proclaim May 1, 1999, as Law Day.  I urge the people of the
  United States to consider anew how our laws protect our freedoms and
  contribute to our national well-being.  I call upon members of the legal
  profession, civic associations, educators, librarians, public officials,
  and the media to promote the observance of this day with appropriate
  programs and activities.  I also call upon public officials to display
  the flag of the United States on all government buildings throughout the
  day.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
  thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and
  ninety-nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the
  two hundred and twenty-third.

                                   WILLIAM J. CLINTON

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