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NDI hosts Congressional Briefing to
Stimulate the Advancement of Public Policy aimed at Improving Economic Outlook
for Citizens with Disabilities
On Friday, April 23rd, NDI hosted an educational program on Capitol Hill
entitled, "Innovative Public Policy Strategies aimed at Promoting the
Economic Advancement of Individuals with Disabilities." The briefing included the following
speakers: Rourke O'Brien of the
New America Foundation; Steve Mendelsohn of Burton Blatt Institute; Steve Beck
of the Collaboration to Promote Self-Determination; Carol Wayman of the
Corporation for Enterprise Development; and John Hetterick of the National
Disability Institute. Over 75
participants attended the briefing, which included an overview of an array of
legislative proposals currently before Congress, including the Achieving a
Better Life Experience Act (H.R. 1205/S.493), the SSI Savers Act (H.R. 4937),
Savings for Working Families Act (H.R. 2277/S.985), and the Savings for
American Families' Future Act (H.R. 1961/S.3090). The briefing also highlighted concerns about the archaic
asset and income limits tied to eligibility of critical federal programs upon
which many low-income workers with disabilities rely, including SSI and
Medicaid. Among the 75 participants attending the briefing were representatives from five federal agencies, twelve
Congressional offices, and two state government offices. For more information
and to access a copy of materials released at the briefing, please visit the Capitol Hill Briefings Page on the NDI Website.
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NDI Board of Directors Head to Capitol
Hill to Push for Legislative Proposals aimed at promoting Economic Advancement
of Citizens with Disabilities
On the heels of the successful Congressional briefing held on April 23rd,
NDI's Board of Directors spent the day on Capitol Hill on May 9th,
meeting with over 23 Congressional offices to educate policymakers and staff on
several legislative proposals that would impact the economic advancement of
individuals with disabilities, including:
the recent introduction of the SSI Savers Act of 2010 (H.R. 4937);
efforts to introduce legislation that would codify the Volunteer Income Tax
Assistance Program; benefits of the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of
2010 (H.R. 1205/S.493); and the needed expansion of IDAs and financial literacy
initiatives as outlined in the Savings for Working Families Act (H.R. 2277/S.
985). The results of the meetings
were overall fairly positive, though it was quite clear that there is a high
learning curve and need for additional education among the majority of
Congressional leaders and staff on policy issues related to the economic
advancement of individuals with disabilities.
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Introduction of VITA Act of 2010 Anticipated
in June
Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) is moving forward in introducing
legislation that would codify the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Community
Matching Grant program. The VITA
Act of 2010 would authorize $30 million annually for the program's
continuation. Specifically, VITA
grantees would be allowed to use the funds for covering the ordinary and
necessary costs associated with program operation; outreach and educational
activities relating to eligibility and availability of income supports
available through the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; and services related to
financial literacy, asset development and lowering Federal income taxes. Additionally, the VITA Act of 2010 would establish a National Center to
Promote Quality, Excellence, and Evaluation in Volunteer Income Tax Assistance,
which will be tasked with promoting the adoption of a universally accessible
volunteer training platform for the preparation of Federal income tax returns;
providing capacity-building technical assistance to qualified return
preparation program managers; identifying and disseminating best practices
related to tax site management emerging from states, community-based
organizations, non-profit provider and local government entities; and supporting
outreach and marketing efforts to encourage the use of qualified return
preparation programs receiving funds through the VITA Community Matching Grant
program. Furthermore, the National
Center must also subcontract with national entities who possess specific
expertise in the delivery of technical assistance to the field on effectively
reaching and serving taxpayers with disabilities. NDI worked closely with Senator Brown's legislative team and a national
coalition of VITA partners, including the United Way and the National Community Tax Coalition, on the draft
legislation, which is expected to be introduced by early June.
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NDI Offers Comments on the Future of
the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund for Individuals
with Disabilities
NDI submitted comments to the Community Development
Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund on ways the fund could strengthen the
capacity of CDFIs to respond to the underserved community of individuals with
disabilities. NDI's submission was
in response to a Request for Public Comments released by the agency on March 2nd,
in conjunction with the 15th anniversary of passage of the Riegle
Community Development and Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994, the CDFI Fund's
authorizing statute. NDI's comments included the following proposed
recommendations aimed at improving the response of CDFI's in serving citizens
with disabilities: -
Representation of Disability Perspective on Community
Development Advisory Board: The Advisory Board should include, at a
minimum, a private citizen leader from the disability community as part of a
commitment to diversity. Public
agency representation should be expanded to include the Office on Disability at
the US Department of Health and Human Services and the Office on Disability
Employment Policy at the US Department of Labor to provide needed advice on
opportunities for collaboration with multiple federal agencies invested in
advancing the economic self sufficiency of persons with disabilities.
- Inclusion of Disability in CDFI Definition of Low
Income: The definition of low income should explicitly include
persons with disabilities who lack adequate access to loans or equity
investments. All CDFI Awards
across program authorities should require applicants to "identify activities
that will market and outreach to low income individuals with disabilities,
increase access to capital to this target population, and provide effective and
meaningful participation in loan or investment products." Such a change to the definition of
targeted population should be added consistently across all IDFI Fund programs.
- Reporting Requirements on Activities and Results in
Reaching Disability Community during Recertification Process: CDFIs
should be recertified on a regular basis at least every two years and be
required to document their activities and results related to low income persons
with disabilities. Social
performance reporting annually should document number of loans and investments
in the disability community, nature, size, terms and conditions of such
investments, and current status as well as type and results of technical
assistance activities.
- Provision of Financial Assistance to Eligible
Entities who Focus on Underserved Markets: CDFIs should create a
category of eligible entities that serve a national market or are the
intermediaries. Such entities
might focus on persons with disabilities, women, Native Americans, or other minorities. Fifteen percent of the appropriation
should be allocated for such applicants.
Match requirements should not be reduced for any applicant as part of
the public-private leveraging of resources.
- Expansion of CDFI Training & Technical Assistance
specific to Serving the Needs of Citizens with Disabilities: CDFI
should expand its training and technical assistance activities to increase the
capacity of all CDFI funded entities to understand the needs of and market and
outreach to persons with disabilities and related organizations.
NDI will continue to work with CDFI Fund's leadership
to ensure that citizens with disabilities are prioritized in the systemic
reform efforts of the Fund. |
WIA Reauthorization Dying on the Vine
for 2010; New Employment Bill Contains No Emphasis on Disability
With fewer than 50 official days of Congressional business left between
now and the election, the prospects for the Congress to move reauthorization of
the Workforce Investment Act in 2010 appear to be dim. Sources in the Senate have predicted
that if legislation is not introduced by the Memorial Day recess, that
consideration of the bill will be tabled until the next Congress. Speculations about the future of the WIA reauthorization efforts came
into question approximately six weeks ago, when staff from both sides of the
aisle suggested that both the House and Senate Education & Labor Committees
had other priorities (including reauthorization of the Elementary &
Secondary Education Act) would take precedent over moving WIA before the end of
the year. Additionally, this week, House Ways & Means
Chairman Sander Levin (D-MI) and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus
(D-MT) released the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act, legislation to provide additional
tax cuts and support for American workers through the end of this year. While there are several provisions that
will arguably impact individuals with disabilities who are currently
participating in the labor force, the legislation lacked any emphasis or
prioritization of funding or tax incentives targeted solely at improving the
abysmal employment rates of citizens with disabilities. This falls in the face of a report released earlier this year by Dr. Stephen Kaye from the University of California-San Francisco,
which shows how over a one-year period (January-December of 2009), the number
of employed workers with disabilities declined at a rate more than three times
that of workers without disabilities, and the unemployment rate rose
dramatically to levels far exceeding that of other workers.
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SPECIAL IN-FOCUS:
PROMOTING
NATIONAL SYSTEMS-CHANGE THROUGH REFORM OF FEDERAL INFRASTRUCTURE FOCUSED ON
DISABILITY
NDI is currently participating in a national public policy discussion
about strategies for reforming the current federal infrastructure that exists
to ensure a more coordinated, effective approach at providing services and
supports to citizens with disabilities. We are looking for your ideas and suggestions with respect to the
potential consolidation and reformation of specific federal entities
responsible for the delivery of services and supports for individuals with
disabilities. Please send your
comments to Serena Lowe at [email protected].
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U.S. DISABILITY
EMPLOYMENT PROFILE
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STATISTIC
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WITH DISABILITY
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WITHOUT DISABILITY
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April 2010
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April 2009
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April 2010
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April 2009
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% of population in the labor force
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22.2%
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22.8%
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70.2%
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70.9%
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Unemployment rate
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15.2%
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12.9%
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9.3%
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8.4%
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Employment-population ratio
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18.8%
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19.9%
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64.9%
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63.7%
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As
reported by the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, Table
A-6
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Donate to National Disability Institute
NDI is building a
better economic future for Americans with disabilities. Your
tax-deductible contribution builds empowerment projects that promote
economic self-sufficiency and a better financial future for individuals
with disabilities. Your donation links individuals with disabilities to
free tax assistance, the earned income tax credit, financial literacy,
benefits advisement and asset building opportunities.
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