The Honorable Tony Coelho
The most significant piece of legislation The Honorable Tony Coelho sponsored was the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ADA, which he introduced in the House on May 9, 1989. The Americans with Disabilities Act provides a clear, comprehensive national mandate for the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities. This mandate is urgently needed by our Nations 43 million disabled citizens, he stressed. His passion for this legislation stemmed from his experiences as a person living with epilepsy and from witnessing discriminatory behavior toward others with the condition. My epilepsy is what makes me tick, he said. ADA passed the House in May 1990 and was signed into law on July 26 of that year. brAfter leaving the U.S House of Representatives, he then managed Vice President Al Gores 2000 presidential bid, resigning on June 15, 2000. Coelho later served as chairman of the Board of Directors of the Epilepsy Foundation.
