WI Republicans Won’t Let Paralyzed Democratic Lawmaker Call Into CMTE Meetings – By Jake Thomas (The Intellectualist) / Aug 1 2019
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said it would be “disrespectful” to those “actually taking the time” to attend in person.
Wisconsin Republicans in control of the state’s legislative Assembly are refusing to accommodate a paralyzed Democratic lawmaker who has requested to phone into committee meetings, according to The Associated Press.
Rep. Jimmy Anderson, of Fitchburg, is wheelchair bound after being injured in a car accident in 2010, where a drunk driver crashed into his vehicle, killing his parents and brother and leaving Anderson paralyzed from the chest down.
On Monday, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel published a story in which Anderson said the Assembly rule keeps him from doing his job to the best of his ability, as his health issues sometimes make getting to meetings difficult.
Though the Senate and Assembly set their own rules in terms of how meetings are conducted, Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos refuses to change the rules, which say legislators may not phone into meetings, to accommodate Anderson.
“I think it’s disrespectful for someone to be asking questions over a microphone or a speakerphone when individuals are actually taking the time out of their day to come and testify in person,” Vos told the Journal Sentinel.
Anderson shot back, saying, “I think it’s disrespectful to exclude a duly elected member of the Legislature to be able to fully participate when the need for an accommodation arises.”
The Democrat said he might sue Vos and other Republican leaders if they fail to accommodate him, but he also said he remains unsure if he is covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act, being that he is an elected official and not an employee.
While he prefers to attend meetings in person, Anderson said sometimes he is unable to do so, as it is not always possible to find a personal-care worker to help him when meetings are scheduled early or run late. He cannot be in his wheelchair for extended periods of time, he said.
Read the full report: https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/wisconsin/articles/2019-07-29/republicans-wont-let-democrat-in-wheelchair-phone-in
