Senator Edward M. Kennedy

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Contact Senator Kennedy

Timeline

1962
Edward M. Kennedy is elected to the United States Senate.
1964
Senator Kennedy made his maiden speech on the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which was signed on July 2, 1964, and the Senator strongly supported the Economic Opportunity Act, which was signed on August 20, 1964. The EOA stated that programs would be "developed, conducted and administered with the maximum feasible participation and the residents of the areas and members of the groups served." It also established community action programs, including ABCD, to mobilize resources that could be used in a direct attack on the roots of poverty
1965
Senator Kennedy won passage of a bill establishing a National Teacher Corps, which awarded scholarships to young individuals willing to supplement their normal course of study with education courses. Participants agreed that, after graduating, they would teach for at least two years in economically-distressed rural and urban areas.
1966
Senator Kennedy, through an amendment to the Economic Opportunity Act, created a national health center system. In1966, the nation's first comprehensive neighborhood health center was established by Tufts University in cooperation with ABCD at the Columbia Point Housing Project in Dorchester.
1968
As a result of Senator Kennedy's championing of bilingual education, the Bilingual Education Act of 1968 was passed by Congress. The Act mandated schools to provide bilingual education programs, which was the first time Congress had endorsed funding for bilingual education. The Bilingual Program, a federally funded program through Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education act, was updated with the Improving American's Schools Act of 1994
1970
Senator Kennedy continued his commitment to senior citizens by supporting Older American Community ServiceEmployment. He also advocated the Voting Rights Act Extension, maintaining the Civil Rights gained in the 60's. He was successful in passing his statute to lower the voting age to 18. Due to the skyrocketing costs of home heating, particularly for low-income families and elders, the Senator actively worked on creating a fuel assistance program for the low-income. Kennedy was also responsible for legislation that quadrupled the amount of funding for cancer research and prevention.
1971
Senator Kennedy became Chairman of the Senate Health Subcommittee, enhancing his ability to champion the cause of quality health care for all Americans
1972
A program that Senator Kennedy holds dear to his heart is the Meals on Wheels program for senior citizens which he strengthened in 1972. This program offers nutritional meals to homebound seniors. Another priority for Senator Kennedy was the Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Program. This program, popularly known as WIC, offers food, nutrition counseling, and access to health services for low-income women, infants, and children under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. Also that year, Kennedy was a key supporter of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which protected women from discrimination in educational institutions and increased athletic opportunities for women in colleges and universities.
1973
Through his leadership, Senator Kennedy helped continue and improve legal services and emergency health services for the poor and improved educational opportunities for the handicapped. In addition, Senator Kennedy sponsored bipartisan campaign finance legislation to help clean up the electoral system. The bill imposed new contribution limits and established public financing for presidential elections.
1975
As part of his work on a wide range of domestic programs affecting the poor, Senator Kennedy championed the national Family Planning Initiatives. Senator Kennedy was an original cosponsor of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, which later became the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This important law seeks to guarantee a free and appropriate public education to children with disabilities, regardless of their severity, in every state.
1978
Senator Kennedy cosponsored the Civil Rights Commission Act Amendments of 1978, which expanded the jurisdiction of the Civil Rights Commission to protect people from discrimination on the basis of disability. In addition, Senator Kennedy led the effort to dregulate the airline industry, allowing airlines to choose their own fares and driving down costs for consumers.
1979
Senator Kennedy became Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and was influential in providing access for women and minorities in judicial nominations.
1980
Senator Kennedy introduced the Civil Rights for Institutionalized Persons Act, which enforced the constitutional rights of people in government institutions such as the elderly, the disabled, the mentally ill, and the incarcerated. Beyond ensuring humane living conditions and basic rights to such individuals, the law detailed the protection of religious practices of the institutionalized. In addition, Senator Kennedy authored the Refugee Act of 1980, which established a comprehensive U.S. policy to provide humanitarian assistance, admission and resettlement to refugees around the world.
1981
Senator Kennedy garnered Congressional support for Low-Income Energy Assistance Programs (Fuel Assistance) ensuring that low-income and working poor families do not have to choose between eating and heating their homes.
1982
In the wake of ideological budget restraints under President Reagan, Senator Kennedy sponsored the Job Training Partnership Act with Senator Quayle, which proposed to educate and train the nation's front-line workforce, It strengthened program requirements, provided better targeting of services to reach those most in need, provided higher quality services. Despite the efforts to eliminate the Summer Jobs Program, Senator Kennedy had it reinstated. Kennedy was the chief sponsor of the Voting Rights Act Amendments, which led to increased minority representation in Congress and state legislatures nationwide.
1983
Senator Kennedy has always balanced military preparedness with domestic needs. On becoming a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, he opposed the untested Star Wars Program and strongly supported Nuclear Arms Control.
1984
Senator Kennedy cosponsored legislation requiring polling stations to provide physical accessibility for physically disabled and elderly people on federal election days.
1986
Senator Kennedy was an original cosponsor of a law that required that facilities and services be provided to people with disabilities traveling by air, both on aircrafts and in terminals and airports. Kennedy also cosponsored the Employment Opportunities for Disabled Americans Act, which made work incentives for diabled individuals a permanent fixture of the Social Security Act. As a result of the law, people working despite severe disabilities became eligible for special status to receive SSI benefits and Medicaid coverage. Handicapped Children�s Protection Act: Overturned a Supreme Court decision and allowed courts to award sensible attorneys fees to parents of children with disabilities winning in due process proceedings under the Education Act.Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments: Established a new grant program aimed at developing an early intervention system benefiting infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families.
1987
Senator Kennedy supported a Minimum Wage Increase and the Welfare-to-Jobs Incentives, increasing the job-readiness skills and disposable income for low-income and working poor individuals. In addition, Kennedy introduced legislation that added Even Start to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to enable schools to work with children before they enter the classroom. Even Start provides early education, family literacy and related services to disadvantaged parents and their children.
1988
Senator Kennedy introduced the Fair Housing Act Amendments to extend the law to include people with disabilities and families with children. By expanding the law, the FHAA prohibited discrimination towards people with disabilities in the sale or rental of housing. Kennedy also cosponsored legislation that provided funding to all 50 states in order to raise awareness about the potential benefits of assistive technology, which significantly improves the lives of people with disabilities. Kennedy won an important victory for labor when he teamed with Senator Hatch to restrict the use of polygraph or lie detector tests in the workplace. Also that year, Senator Kennedy introduced legislation to require companies to give sixty-days� notice to employees before closing a plant that would cost at least fifty workers their jobs.
1989
Senator Kennedy won passage of the National Military Child Care Act, which established the DOD child care system that is still viewed as one of the best in the country today.
1990
On July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act was enacted into law. Introduced by Senator Kennedy, the ADA prohibited discrimination against any qualified individual with a disability in job application procedures, hiring or discharge, compensation, advancement, training, etc. Also that year, Senator Kennedy introduced, along with Senator Hatch, the groundbreaking Ryan White CARE Act, which provided emergency relief to the thirteen cities hardest hit by the AIDS epidemic, and also provided substantial assistance to all states to develop effective and cost-efficient AIDS care programs, aimed particularly at early diagnosis and home care. Kennedy was the lead sponsor of the Immigration Act, which increased quotas for family immigration, established a diversity visa program and a temporary safe haven for persons fleeing oppressive governments.
1991
Senator Kennedy was the chief sponsor of the Civil Rights Act of 1991, which strengthened existing protections and remedies available under federal civil rights laws, including the provision of remedies for intentional discrimination and harrassment in the workplace. Senator Kennedy also supported a bill to repeal the ban on women serving as combat aviators, making it possible for women to play a full and complete role in our national defense.
1992
As a strong proponent of Early Childhood Education, Senator Kennedy assisted in the Expansion of the Head Start Program which increased the number of low-income children served by 25%. Senator Kennedy also championed the Head Start Improvement Act which maintained quality, extended services and authorized the purchase of buildings to enhance program stability. His actions on the Summer Jobs for Youth Program resulted in a $500 million supplemental appropriation that was allocated for fiscal year 1992 for summer jobs which provided an additional 300,000 youth with summer employment. Also that year, amid serious concerns regarding the quality of mammography, Kennedy cosponsored and helped pass the Mammography Quality Standards Act to ensure the safety and accuracy of mammograms, and to promote the use of the procedure.
1993
Senator Kennedy helped establish the Direct Lending program, included as part of the Budget Reconcilation Act of 1993. The program created a system of direct lending to reduce the cost of federal student loans for students, families, and taxpayers. Also that year, Senator Kennedy sponsored the National and Community Service Trust Act, creating AmeriCorps and the Corporation for National and Community Service to help expand opportunities for Americans to serve their communities, including education grants for students who choose to volunteer for service after college.
1994
As Chairman of the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee, Senator Kennedy worked closely with President Clinton to expand opportunity for working families. His leadership brought about the passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act and the School-to-Work Opportunities Act, which provided seed money for local school-to-work programs designed and run by local business, education, community and labor leaders. He also sponsored the Human Services Reauthorization Act, which guaranteed the extension of ABCD and all Community Action core funding. It also put Head Start on a path to reach all eligible children and expanded Head Start to cover pregnant women and young children on the 0-3 age group. This Act also reauthorized the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to help families pay their heating bills. Also that year, Kennedy was a leader in the fight to pass the Crime Act, which secured funding for 100,000 new police officers, imposed tough new penalties for crimes involving gangs and firearms, and authorized the Police Corps, a program that gives talented young people college scholarships in return for their commitment to serve as police officers in their communities.
1996
Senators Kennedy and Kassenbaum sponsored the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which ensures access to health coverage for an estimated 25 million Americans who move from one job to another, are self-employed, or have pre-existing medical conditions. Also that year, Kennedy joined a bipartisan group of Senators to help enact the Mental Health Parity bill to eliminate unjust annual and lifetime limits on mental health coverage that differ from those imposed on other covered illnesses.
1997
Senator Kennedy, in his senior role on the Senate and as an acknowledge national spokesperson for the disadvantaged, continued to work on a vast array of domestic programs in the wake of an increasingly conservative Congress. He demonstrated his ongoing commitment at the dedication of the $8 million ABCD-controlled, HUD-funded conversion of the abandoned Michelangelo School in Boston's North End to 71 units of affordable elderly housing. In addition, Kennedy helped establish the State Children�s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to support state efforts to provide health insurance to uninsured children in low-income families.
1999
After finishing the 1996 Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Act (welfare "reform"), Senator Kennedy saw the need and acted to assist the hardest to employ with Welfare-to-Work Initiatives. These initiatives provide individuals with access to job training, adult education, job placement, child care, transportation assistance and case management, and therefore really give families the opportunity to leave welfare and start life anew. ABCD, in partnership with Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries, initiated a successful welfare-to-work program which was strongly supported by Senator Kennedy. Senator Kennedy is championing the cause and the role of the ABCD Urban College of Boston with the U.S. Department of Education.
2000
Senator Kennedy was the lead sponsor of the Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Education Act, which addressed the complex factors that have led to pervasive health disparities between minorities and other Americans in the United States. The approach included a commitment to research on minority health, and improved data systems to track the extent and severity of minority health problems. The law also included an authorization for significant resources to help enhance the delivery of health care to minorities. In addition, the Senators Kennedy and Frist sponsored legislation to improve the nation�s ability to respond to outbreaks of infectious disease. The Public Health Threats and Emergencies Act included initiatives to control the spread of germs resistant to antibiotics, and to protect the country against bioterrorism. Also that year, Kennedy authored the Pediatric Graduate Medical Education program (GME), which provided essential support for training programs at children�s hospitals across the country.
2001
Senator Kennedy, as chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, worked with Democrats and Republicans to pass the landmark No Child Left Behind Act. The law contained substantial reforms to help close the achievement gap in public schools and improve the quality of education for all of the nation�s students. In addition, following the attacks of September 11th, 2001, Senator Kennedy called together various disaster relief and mental health organizations to plan a coordinated response to the mental health needs of families of victims of the tragedy. His leadership provided immediate avenues for collaboration between disaster response agencies and ensured a timely and comprehensive response.
2002
Following September 11th and the anthrax attacks in October of that year, Senator Kennedy introduced the bipartisan Bioterrorism Preparedness Act to help the country prevent, prepare for, and respond to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies. The law helped upgrade federal capacities to respond to bioterrorism, improved the response at the state and local level, and paved the way for new treatments and diagnostics. Senator Kennedy also sponsored the bipartisan Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act, which expanded the country�s intelligence and law enforcement capabilities to help identify individuals who have violated visas, or have links to terrorist organizations. The law safeguarded the entry of more than 31 million persons who enter the U.S. legally each year as visitors, students, and temporary workers, striking an appropriate balance between isolating criminals and upholding America�s immigrant traditions.
2003
As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Kennedy sponsored an amendment to provide funding for the procurement of additional armored Humvees for use in the war in Iraq. Senator Kennedy acted in response to reports that one quarter of all American deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan occurred in unarmored Humvees, and that thousands more soldiers have been injured or disabled for life. The additional funding was used to purchase Up-Armored Humvees and armor add-on kits for the vehicles to meet the safety needs of American troops. In addition, Senator Kennedy led the effort to pass legislation that significantly enhanced law enforcement tools related to the exploitation and abduction of children. The PROTECT Act provided funding for AMBER Alert notification systems along U.S. highways, and awarded grants to states for the implementation of improved communication technologies.
2004
Senator Kennedy was a leading cosponsor of legislation to reauthorize the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The legislation included bipartisan improvements to the program that provides special education services to six and a half million students in the U.S. The reauthorization provided for at least 30,000 additional special education teachers, improved education training, and expanded technologies available to disabled children. Senator Kennedy also sponsored and helped pass the Project Bioshield Act, which created a federal funding stream to guide America�s medical and biotechnology researchers in creating stronger defenses to biological threats. The National Institutes for Health, as well as universities and research institutions in Massachusetts and around the country, will benefit from the initiative, and lead the way in developing new biodefense countermeasures such as vaccines, immunizations, and other treatments.
2005
During consideration of the Iraq supplemental spending bill, Senator Kennedy introduced an amendment to ensure armored Humvee production remained at maximum levels. As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Kennedy was successful in his efforts to pass Humvee-production legislation in 2003. However, mismanagement at the Pentagon had left production far short of what�s needed to provide adequate security for U.S. troops. Senator Kennedy�s amendment boosted funding to put production back on track. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, one of the worst natural disasters the country�s history, Senator Kennedy joined his Senate colleagues in passing emergency funding to assist in the recovery efforts. In addition, the Senator met face-to-face with relief organizations working to provide support to victims, and discussed with them the best ways to implement relief and support services for those affected by the tragedy. Senator Kennedy also sponsored and helped pass emergency education funding for schools impacted by Katrina, and introduced the bipartisan Gulf Coast Recovery and Preparedness Act.
2006
Senator Kennedy sponsored and helped pass the Family Opportunity Act, which provided states the opportunity to expand Medicaid coverage to children with special needs, allowing low- and middle-income families with disabled children the ability to purchase coverage under the Medicaid program. For many disabled children, Medicaid is the only health insurance program offering sufficient benefits to cover the required care, such as physical therapy and medical equipment. The Family Opportunity Act will allow parents of disabled children to go to work and earn above poverty wages without losing coverage for their children.

Across the Aisle

I believe our values as Americans should unite us not divide us. Working "across the isle" on important legislation to improve life for all Americans has been a hallmark of my career in the Senate and it will continue to be the way that we remain productive .