Dear Policy Watchers:
Congress really rushed to get out to begin a week-long Memorial Day recess. As the weather heats up, so does the legislative calendar here in Washington. The big news
is the President indicating he won’t sign legislation until Congress stops investigating him and all the chaos that
caused on the Hill. But, congressional
leaders continue to negotiate important issues concerning budget and appropriations that must
be passed. Hopefully, cooler heads will prevail and
we’ll see some movement on issues like raising budget caps, dealing with the debt ceiling and 2020 finalizing appropriations going into the summer months.
Here are some notes from a busy week here at NACDD.
WIOA regs pushed back to December 2019? The Department
of Education has given
notice that changes to the WIOA regulations concerning competitive and integrated employment may be postponed until December 2019. But, the
expected date has changed several times and it does not mean they will wait until December 2019. Regular lobbying continues on this
issue and we are not quite sure what to make of the delay. They love to keep us on our toes!
Congressional hearing on barriers to employment. The
House Committee on Education and Labor held a fascinating hearing on “Eliminating Barriers to Employment: Opening Doors to Opportunity." You can watch the full hearing on their YouTube page here.
There was a LOT of conversation about how to transition people from 14c workplaces into competitive and integrated employment. Shayne Roos, Senior
Vice President, ACHIEVA (Pittsburgh, PA) testified that they had closed all of their
14c workshops and are tracking the resident outcomes. He testified, “To date, just over 100 people formerly in one of our workshops and earning a subminimum wage are now enjoying the richness and benefit of competitive integrated employment. Those jobs span
across 53 unique employers with an average starting salary of $8.25 per hour. An additional 65 people are employed by one of ACHIEVA’s three businesses- pallets and packaging; property maintenance; and cleaning and janitorial. The average hourly rate earned
in ACHIEVA’s business operations is $8.93. These same people were once earning an average wage of $1.90 per hour under a 14(c) certificate. Current earnings represent a 370% increase in hourly wages.” You can read testimony from all
of the witnesses on the committee website here.
New advocacy resource to promote competitive and integrated employment launched! NACDD
has joined in coalition with over 20 other national organizations to promote competitive integrated employment. Check out our new website and find out how you can get involved to advance CIE at IntegratedEmploymentNow.org.
And use the hashtag #WorkWithUs whenever you
are posting information about the work your council is doing to promote competitive and integrated employment.
OFCCP Director Craig Leen promises more disability discrimination reviews of employers working under a federal contract or subcontract.
OFCCP Director Craig Leen provided an update to several disability groups on OFCCP’s initiatives to ramp up compliance reviews under Section 503. Section
503 prohibits federal contractors and subcontractors from discriminating in employment against individuals with disabilities and requires
these employers to take affirmative action to recruit, hire, promote, and retain these individuals. DD Councils should be aware of recent best practices published by OFCCP and promoted to all businesses who contract or subcontract with the federal government.
You can view the best practices for creating an inclusive workforce here.
Finally, OFCCP is always looking for examples of models for inclusive workplaces. Please let NACDD know if you want to put forward any best practices by employers in your state that OFCCP can use.
Pandemic
and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act passes the Senate. On
Thursday, the Senate approved bipartisan
legislation that would reauthorize the nation’s all-hazards preparedness and response law. As DD Councils are all too aware, people with disabilities are often left out of emergency management, often leading to tragic consequences in disasters. We are pleased
this bill establishes a national advisory committee to be known as the National Advisory Committee on Individuals with Disabilities and Disasters that will evaluate and provide input with respect to the medical, public health, and accessibility needs of individuals
with disabilities related to preparation for, response to, and recovery from all-hazards emergencies. This legislation heads back to the House, which passed its own version of PAHAIA earlier this year.
That’s all for now. I wish you all peace and warmest wishes this Memorial Day
and deepest gratitude for those who service members who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. As we reflect on the holiday honoring our fallen heroes,
I’m reminded of a quote from former President Bill Clinton, “There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured with what is right in America.”
Erin Prangley
Director, Public Policy
National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities
1825 K Street, NW, Suite 600
Washington, DC 20006
202.506.5813 Ext. 104 (Phone) | 202.506.5846 (Fax)