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January 14, 2025 | Vol. MMXXVV | Issue 100 |
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118th Congress Finishes Its Work and 119th Congress Begins |
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The 118th Congress concluded on December 21, when Congress passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) that funds the government through March 14—H.R. 10545. The bill provides more than $110 billion in disaster aid as well as continued funding for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including funds for community health centers and extended telehealth flexibilities.
The 119th Congress started on January 3 with swearing in new Members of Congress, passing their rules for how they will run Congress in the next two years, and appointing Committee members. Committee leadership for some important Committees that work on many disability policies include:
Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee
Chair: Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
Ranking Member: Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
Senate Finance Committee
Chair: Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID)
Ranking Member: Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR)
Senate Appropriations Committee
Chair: Senator Susan Collins (R-ME)
Ranking Member: Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)
Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Subcommittee
Chair: Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)
Ranking Member: Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
House Committee on Education and Workforce
Chair: Representative Tim Walberg (R-MI)
Ranking Member: Representative Bobby Scott (D-VA)
House Committee on Energy and Commerce
Chair: Representative Brett Guthrie (R-KY)
Ranking Member: Representative Frank Pallone (D-NJ)
House Committee on Appropriations
Chair: Representative Tom Cole (R-OK)
Ranking Member: Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Subcommittee
Chair: Representative Robert Aderholt (R-AL)
Ranking Member: Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
Congressional Republicans have signaled that they plan on passing a budget and working to pass reconciliation bills. Budget reconciliation is a congressional procedure that makes it easier to pass legislation related to taxes and spending, provided that legislation follows specific rules. Using reconciliation allows lawmakers to avoid the filibuster in the Senate. Incoming Senate Republican leader John Thune (R-SD) and House Republican leader Mike Johnson (R-LA) are planning for one or two reconciliation bills that will tackle border security, defense, and energy policy, and will address government spending. Republicans have suggested making changes to Medicaid as part of their reconciliation plans to help pay for other priorities. AUCD and other organizations are working to protect Medicaid including how to prevent cuts to the program, which provides critical support to people with disabilities and their families, as well as how to protect other health and human services programs. |
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Congress has passed a bill to keep the government funded through March 14. The bill includes money to help areas of the country that had natural disasters like hurricanes, as well as money to make sure some health programs in the country can continue.
In this new session of Congress, which started at the beginning of January, people are talking about how to pass bills that affect how the government spends money. Some lawmakers are talking about taking money away from Medicaid, which would be bad for many people with disabilities. AUCD and other organizations will work to protect Medicaid. |
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Action Steps |
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The Autism CARES Act Signed Into Law |
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On December 23, President Biden signed the Autism CARES Act of 2024 (H.R. 7213), making it a law. This bipartisan, bicameral bill is crucial to maintaining and improving the monitoring, training, and research programs throughout the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services focused on children and adults with autism, people with other neurodevelopmental disabilities, and their families.
The reauthorized CARES Act will expand research, increase public awareness and surveillance, and improve the capacity of the interdisciplinary health professional training programs including the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Other Related Disabilities programs that support people with autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families. The CARES Act was sponsored in the Senate by Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and Susan Collins (R-ME). In the House of Representatives, the bill was sponsored by the co-chairs of the Autism Caucus, Representatives Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Henry Cuellar (D-TX). |
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On December 23, President Biden signed the Autism CARES Act. Now it is a law. The CARES Act will improve research and training focused on people with autism and some other types of developmental disabilities. |
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Think Differently Database Act Signed Into Law |
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On January 4, President Biden signed the Think Differently Database Act (H.R. 670) into law. This bipartisan legislation—sponsored by Representatives Marc Molinaro (R-NY) and Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) in the House and Senators Eric Schmitt (R-MO) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) in the Senate—will create a comprehensive, national website database of support services and resources for people with disabilities in every state. |
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On January 4, President Biden signed the Think Differently Database Act into law. This bill will create a website that has a lot of information and resources to help people with disabilities. |
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U.S. Department of Transportation Releases Final Rule to Make Air Travel Safer for People Using Wheelchairs |
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On December 17, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced a final rule to ensure safe air travel for people using wheelchairs. The rule mandates better training for airline staff and others who work with airlines to help people with disabilities board and disembark from planes. Under this new rule, airlines have to provide “safe and dignified” assistance to people with disabilities. The rule provides new protections to travelers with disabilities whose wheelchairs are damaged by airlines.
People who use wheelchairs, scooters, and other assistive technology have long faced unsafe conditions and undignified experiences when flying, and this rule would address that and support more people with disabilities in using air travel. Advocates who weighed in on this rule emphasized that “when an individual's wheelchair or scooter is delayed or damaged by an airline, the individual's mobility, health, and freedom are impacted until the device can be returned, repaired, or replaced.” The final rule will take effect January 16, 2025. |
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The U.S. Department of Transportation made a new rule that would help people with disabilities who use wheelchairs and want to fly on an airplane. This rule would help make air travel safer and more accessible for people with disabilities. Advocates told the U.S. Department of Transportation about how hard it is when people who use wheelchairs travel on airplanes, because their wheelchairs often get damaged or lost. |
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Bill to Expand Home Care for Veterans Signed into Law |
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On January 2, President Biden signed the Elizabeth Dole Home and Community Based Services for Veterans and Caregivers Act (the Dole Act)—S. 141. This bill, sponsored by U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS), Jon Tester (D-MT), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and U.S. Representatives Julia Brownley (D-CA) and Jack Bergman (R-MI), will expand access to home and community-based services (HCBS) for veterans through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The Dole Act would improve and expand the VA’s HCBS services, including:
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Offering the Veteran-Directed Care Program, the Homemaker Home Health Aide Program, the Home-Based Primary Program, and the Purchased Skilled Home Care Program at all VA medical centers.
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Establishing a three-year pilot program to encourage workforce growth in homemaker and health aide services.
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Increasing the VA expenditure cap for non-institutional care alternatives for nursing home care from 65% to 100%.
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On January 2, President Biden signed the Elizabeth Dole Home and Community Based Services for Veterans and Caregivers Act (the Dole Act), so now it is a law. This bill will help more veterans access home and community-based services and will also support caregivers. Veterans are people who used to be in the military. |
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U.S. Department of Labor to Hold Webinar on Disability Workforce Inclusion |
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On Tuesday, January 14 from 3:00 – 4:00 PM, the U.S. Department of Labor will host a webinar on supporting and uplifting disability inclusion in the workforce. Among a few other topics, the webinar will focus on Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, which prohibits federal contractors and subcontractors from discriminating against people with disabilities in employment processes and encourages employment of people with disabilities. Additionally, the webinar will “delve into Reasonable Accommodations and share practical strategies for fostering an inclusive workforce, share record-keeping practices, describe how utilization goals can help organizations ensure equitable representation of disabled individuals in their workforce.” |
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Plain Language |
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The U.S. Department of Labor is going to hold a webinar to talk about how to support people with disabilities getting employed and being included in the workforce. This includes making sure that contractors—which are companies that work with the U.S. government—are not discriminating against people with disabilities, and making sure that there are workplace accommodations, which are supports in a job that help people with disabilities do their work and have equal opportunity to get jobs, like nondisabled people. |
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Action Steps |
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Register for the webinar. |
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IRS Raises ABLE Account Deposit Limit Starting This Month |
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On October 22, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) annual inflation adjustments for tax year 2025 were announced. These adjustments included an increase of the federal gift tax limit, which is the tax on gifts that people give. The IRS raised the gift limit from $18,000 to $19,000, which means that people do not have to report gifts under $19,000. Since the cap on annual deposits for ABLE accounts is tied to the federal gift tax limit, this means that the annual contribution limit for putting money into ABLE accounts is also automatically raised from $18,000 to $19,000. Those changes start this month. |
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The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is in charge of taxes. They decide what rules people have to follow for giving and receiving money. They decided that, in 2025, people who save money in ABLE accounts can put more money in their accounts before they need to tell the government about it. |
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Action Steps |
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Read more about the tax inflation adjustments for 2025. |
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Reminder: Comments Due January 17 for Subminimum Wage Proposed Rule |
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A reminder that the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is accepting comments on the proposed rule to phase out the use of Section 14(c) waivers allowing employers to pay workers with disabilities subminimum wage. The deadline to submit comments is 11:59 PM ET on January 17, 2025.
The rule proposes to stop issuing new Section 14(c) certificates to employers submitting initial applications on or after the effective date of a final rule and would permit existing certificate holders to continue to operate under Section 14(c) certificate authority for up to 3 years after the effective date of a final rule. |
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Plain Language |
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The U.S. Department of Labor announced that it is going to make a new rule that says employers cannot pay people with disabilities less than the minimum wage. The minimum wage is the lowest possible amount of money that employees can pay their workers. Employers cannot pay their employees less than the minimum wage, or they would be breaking the law. Subminimum wage means being paid less than the federal minimum wage. Typically, this would be illegal, but Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA) allows some employers who apply for and are given a piece of paper—called a 14(c) certificate—to pay certain employees, such as people with disabilities, at hourly rates below the minimum wage. The U.S. Department of Labor wants people to comment on this rule and say if they like it or not. The deadline to make a comment is 11:59 PM ET on January 17, 2025. |
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Check out "Tuesdays with Liz: Disability Policy for All" |
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“Tuesdays with Liz: Disability Policy for All” is a YouTube video series highlighting current issues and hot topics in disability policy. Past guests of Tuesdays with Liz include U.S. Senators, U.S. Representatives, agency officials, AUCD leadership, and key members of the disability community.
Liz Weintraub is AUCD's Senior Advocacy Specialist and the host of "Tuesdays with Liz: Disability Policy for All."
Liz has extensive experience practicing leadership in self-advocacy and has held many board and advisory positions at state and national organizations, including the Council on Quality & Leadership (CQL) and the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Council.
Find the full playlist on YouTube or check out this episode from the archives with former AUCD Program Specialist Katie Johnson on plain language. |
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