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NDSC Governmental Affairs Newsline
July 18, 2014

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ABLE Act Information Alert

The Senate Finance Committee has scheduled a Congressional hearing on the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act (S. 313/H.R. 647) for Wednesday, July 23 at 10:00 am EST. The hearing, entitled "Saving for an Uncertain Future: How the ABLE Act can Help People with Disabilities and their Families," is being convened by Chairman Bob Casey (D-PA) and Ranking Member Mike Enzi (R-WY), along with Senator Richard Burr (R-NC).

Self advocate Sara Wolff, a 31-year old young woman with Down syndrome from Moscow, Pennsylvania, has been invited to testify before the Subcommittee, along with the following witnesses:

*    The Honorable Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Member (WA-5), United States House of Representatives, Spokane, WA
*    Mr. Robert D'Amelio, Volunteer Advocate, Autism Speaks, Charlotte, NC
*    Mr. Chase Alston Phillips, Financial Advisor, Alexandria, VA

NDSC, NDSS, The ARC, Autism Speaks and other national disability organizations have been pushing for passage of the ABLE Act for nearly eight years. We are hopeful that the ABLE Act will pass this year.

For those local advocates who would like to attend the hearing, it will be held on July 23 at 10:00 am EST in 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC.

You can watch the hearing online at this link: http://www.finance.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=838dfbc2-5056-a032-52d6-5cff32022993

This bill would amend Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Service Code of 1986 to create a tax-free savings accounts for individuals with disabilities. The goal of the bill is to give individuals with disabilities and family members the ability to save money to use for disability-related expenses, without losing access to much needed federal benefits such as Medicaid (which pays for long term support services) and SSI (cash benefit). 

This is an important step toward passage of the ABLE ACT.

For more on the advocacy work of the NDSC, please read the guest blog post by Susan Goodman, NDSC Director of Governmental Affairs at The Road We've Shared.

NDSC envisions a world with equal rights and opportunities for people with Down syndrome.


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