Treaty work draws Republican frowns

— A U.N. treaty promoting equal rights for the disabled faced an uncertain future Tuesday in the Senate as Republicans objected to taking up an international treaty during a lame-duck session of Congress and expressed concerns about ceding authority to the United Nations.

Supporters of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was completed in 2006, stressed that it was modeled after the1990 Americans with Disabilities Act and required no changes in U.S. law.

But 36 Republican lawmakers in September signed a letter opposing any action on international treaties during the post-election session.

The opposition has more than enough votes to defeat the treaty, which needs a two-thirds majority to be ratified.

The convention has been signed by 154 nations and ratified by 126 of those nations. President Barack Obama signed it in 2009.

Front Section, Pages 3 on 11/28/2012

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