Policy Corner: September 18, 2020

House and Senate Negotiate on a Stopgap Measure for FY 2021 Appropriations

House and Senate leaders continue to negotiate on a fiscal year (FY) 2021 federal funding measure to avoid partial shutdown starting Oct. 1. While the Senate is proposing to extend current funding levels through Dec. 18, Democrats are pushing a long-term stopgap into Feb. 2021. Democrats are also pushing to postpone 2020 census-related deadlines and other issues. Nevertheless, a measure will need to pass by Sept. 30 to avoid a government shutdown.

House Democrats Introduce THRIVE Resolution that Includes Disability Issues

Led by Rep. Debra A. Haaland (D-N.M.), the House of Representatives introduced THRIVE, H.R. 1002, to recognize the duty of the federal government to implement an agenda to Transform, Heal, and Renew by Investing in a Vibrant Economy (THRIVE). The resolution provides a framework to address issues such as climate change, COVID-19, economic recovery, and racial injustice. It includes language recognizing issues affecting people with disabilities and chronic illness, among other often underrepresented groups.

BIAA Supports Federal Research on COVID-19 Impact on Disabilities

The Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA) signed on to the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Coalition (DRRC) letter to leadership at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes for Health, Centers for Disease Prevention and Control and National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research in strong support for the critical research being conducted on the COVID-19 pandemic. The letter urges that this research encompasses the pandemic’s impact on people with disabilities and chronic conditions. It is crucial that federal research develop a broader understanding of the specific interactions of this virus with preexisting disabilities and the disparities in complications and outcomes faced by people with disabilities, who already tend to have poorer health and health outcomes due to entrenched disparities in the health care system.

House Education and Labor Committee Propose a National Apprentice Act

The House Committee on Education and Labor Democrats unveiled a proposal yesterday to reauthorize the National Apprenticeship Act, H.R. 8294, that would create nearly one million new registered apprenticeships, youth apprenticeship, and pre-apprenticeship positions over the next five years. Introduced by Committee Chair Susan Davis (D-Calif.), Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Investment (HEWI), and Chair Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-VA), Education and Labor Committee, the Act would invest nearly $3.5 billion over five years to scale up apprenticeship opportunities, streamline access to apprenticeships for workers and employers, and expand apprenticeships into new in-demand industry sectors and occupations. Among the provisions, the bill authorizes a grant program to support the creation or expansion of registered pre-apprenticeships, including nontraditional apprenticeship occupations and for nontraditional populations.

Lawmakers Support the Civil Rights Report to Repeal Subminimum Wage for People with Disabilities

Chairman Bobby Scott (D-Va.), House Committee on Education and Labor, and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) released a statement relating to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights 2020 report regarding the subminimum wage and its impact on people with disabilities. In the report, the Commission recommends that Congress repeal Section 14(c) with a planned phase-out period to allow transition among service providers and people with disabilities to alternative service models prioritizing competitive integrated employment. Both lawmakers agreed with the report and noted legislation was introduced in January. The legislation, known as the “Transformation to Competitive Employment Act,” provides states, service providers, subminimum wage certificate holders, and other agencies with the resources to help workers with disabilities transition into competitive, integrated employment.

The Fair Labor Standards Act provides for the employment of certain individuals at wage rates below the minimum wage. These individuals include student-learners (vocational education students), as well as full-time students employed by retail or service establishments, agriculture, or institutions of higher education. Also included are individuals whose earning or productive capacity is impaired by a physical or mental disability, including those related to age or injury, for the work to be performed.

BIAA gratefully acknowledges the Centre for Neuro Skills and Avanir Pharmaceuticals for their support for legislative action. Click here to read past issues of Policy Corner.