WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has begun debate on a U.N. treaty promoting equal rights for the disabled, a convention that was signed by the George W. Bush administration in 2006 but faces some opposition from Republican senators.
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is based on the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and does not require the United States to change any laws.
It has been signed by 154 nations and ratified by 126 countries.
But it takes a two-thirds majority in the Senate to ratify a treaty, and in September 36 Republican senators signed a letter opposing action on international treaties in the lame-duck session. Some Republicans say the treaty could also be a threat to U.S. sovereignty.
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