Americans with Disabilities Act Anniversary

This past Monday marked the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It is fitting that also this week, Attorney General Martha Coakley announced a settlement with the three largest movie theater chains in the Commonwealth, providing greater accessibility for hearing and visually impaired residents.

With this settlement, these theaters must ensure that every Massachusetts location is equipped with accessible technology, such as captioning technology and description technology. To see the complete settlement details, visit the Attorney General’s Office website.

This settlement is just one among many successful advocacy efforts taken on by Martha since being elected Attorney General. In September 2008, Attorney General Coakley and the National Federation of the Blind reached an agreement with Apple, Inc. , that required Apple to make its iTunes software accessible to blind consumers and students worldwide and to pay $250,000 to Massachusetts to be used to purchase assistive technology for blind students. The Attorney General’s Office also achieved a nationwide settlement with Cardtronics, Inc., the nation’s largest ATM operator, that will provide significantly improved access for blind consumers to the company’s machines.

And in May, Martha was honored with the President Award by the Perkins School for the Blind ,  in recognition of her office’s work to promote accessibility, particularly in technology, for children and adults with sight impairments.

Martha continues to be an advocate for individuals with disabilities, and today’s impressive victory was another step forward in this mission.

Historic Bill Signing with President Obama

Today, Martha joined President Barack Obama, as he signed into law the historic financial reforms included in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010.

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In an email to supporters today, Martha wrote:

These national reforms will help ensure that Massachusetts residents are better protected from abusive lending practices, and will not only help stabilize our economy, but will also help prevent future meltdowns. I applaud the House and Senate for their efforts in passing these reforms, and I was honored to be in attendance as President Obama signed it into law.

The bill signed by the President today provides for better accountability and transparency in our financial system, increased protections for American taxpayers by ending bailouts and preventing abusive financial services practices, and the creation of a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to help protect consumers when they make investments, take out mortgages, and use credit cards. Learn more about this new law on WhiteHouse.gov.

Video and thumbnail image from WhiteHouse.gov.

A Busy Summer

We’re only halfway through July, but it has already been a busy summer for Martha, both out on the campaign trail and in the Attorney General’s Office.

Near record-high temperatures this month haven’t slowed Martha down: Martha and her team of dedicated volunteers had a great day marching in the Chelmsford Independence Day parade; and Martha visited the Lynn Democratic City Committee Summer Family Cookout. Martha also made her regular appearance on WTKK with Jim Braude and Margery Eagan, discussing issues such as her work on behalf of taxpayers combating unemployment fraud.

Martha also recently announced a $102 Million settlement agreement with investment giant Morgan Stanley, which includes $58 million in relief to Massachusetts homeowners and a $19.5 Million return to Massachusetts taxpayers. This is just the most recent in Martha’s efforts on behalf of Massachusetts homeowners who have fallen victim to the subprime mortgage lending crisis, which – so far – has brought over $440 Million in relief for investors and borrowers and recovered more than $50 million in taxpayer funds for Massachusetts. More than 15,000 homeowners in the Commonwealth will see relief following Martha’s work.

And exactly one year to the day that Martha filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a federal judge ruled in favor of this effort and struck down DOMA. In her challenge, Martha argued that the law, which defines marriage as a union between one man and one woman, unfairly excluded Massachusetts married same-sex couples and their families from critically important rights and protections and interfered with the state’s authority to regulate marriage.

Martha’s efforts in these cases and in her re-election campaign have been discussed by columnists and bloggers, such as The Boston Globe’s Adrian Walker and Samuel P. Jacobs of The Daily Beast – check them out! It's been a great summer so far, and we're looking forward to more exciting events in the weeks ahead.

Chelmsford Independence Day Parade

Martha and her team of dedicated volunteers had a great time marching in the Chelmsford Independence Day Parade this past Monday. 

Despite soaring temperatures, the route was full of enthusiastic parade-goers cheering on marching bands, elected officials, veterans, and various organizations.

 Thank you to the Chelmsford Parade Committee for hosting such a wonderful day!