The Last Rights

CIVIL RIGHTS ADVOCATES MAY NOT RECALL THE Bush years with undiluted pleasure, but they welcomed its final gesture. The Justice Department has filed its first court action to enforce the Americans with Disabilities Act, the sweeping handicapped-rights legislation Congress passed in 1990. The department charges that Becker CPA Review of Encino, California, which offers courses for accountants, violated the law by not providing sign-language interpreters or other aids. The government seeks civil penalties of up to $50,000 and damages. In a statement, company president Newton D. Becker said his firm agreed to hire an interpreter before the Justice Department suit: "They're just doing this for publicity's sake." National Federation of Independent Business spokesman Jim Weidman said the action, which hints at costly future requirements for commerce, would "put a chill into the small- business community." Others were encouraged. American Civil Liberties Union staff attorney Ruth Harlow said, "It gets the ball rolling for the Clinton Administration."