Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Frist supports UN disability pact
Former U.S. Sen. Bill Frist said Monday that he disagrees with U.S. Sens. Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander decisions to not support a United Nations treaty on disability rights. Both oppose the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities because they say it will conflict with United States law. But Frist says the treaty cannot create a legal cause of action or be the basis of a lawsuit. Those supporting the rights of the disabled were disappointed when the treaty fell six votes short of the two-thirds majority needed for ratification a year ago. “Voting no to this treaty is saying that we do not think the global community deserves an Americans with Disabilities Act of their own,” Frist said. “U.S. leadership matters. We should be at the table.” Corker has been seen as an especially influential vote because he is the top-ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which held two hearings on the pact in November. . The Tennessee Disability Coalition also reacted with disappointment on Monday. “We were shocked and saddened to learn than Sens. Corker and Alexander have chosen to ignore the voices of Tennesseans with disabilities,” said Carol Westlake, the group’s executive director. “This is a betrayal of our community — of children and adults with disabilities, veterans and the families that support them.”


Return to Today's News Stories - Front Page

Thursday, April 29, 2021

  • US 411 Project News
  • Mill Creek Wildfire Update
  • More Bad News For Smokies' Fans

    Wednesday, April 28, 2021

  • Mill Creek Wildfire doubles in size
  • Goodbye Smokies?
  • Keep Cocke County Beautiful
  • Cocke Co. High School Remote Learning today!

    Tuesday, April 27, 2021

  • The fireflies are coming!
  • Burnout Operations on MillCreek wildfire today
  • Gas prices drop
  • Tennessee keeps all US House seats

    Monday, April 26, 2021

  • Boat accident victim ID'd
  • Traffic stop yields drug arrest
  • Cocke County Wildfires

    Friday, April 23, 2021

  • Leaving WNPC
  • Mathis announces candidacy
  • Newport drug roundup
  • Cruise Against Cancer
  • Jobless numbers