Historic Moment: Langevin Presides Over the House

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Rep. Jim Langevin (above), a Rhode Island Democrat, today became the first person in a wheelchair to preside over the House. The occasion, made possible by a series of mechanical lifts recently installed in the Speaker’s rostrum, marked the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Langevin was accidentally shot in the chest at the age of 16 while working at a police department. Of course, if Congress were actually subject to the laws it passes, Langevin would probably have had access to the rostrum 20 years ago.