ABLE: Positive change and a fighting chance

by Julia Ritchey from Business Savannah.com:

Just before Christmas of last year, President Barack Obama signed the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act, or ABLE, allowing people with disabilities to open tax-free accounts where they can save money without fear of losing government benefits.

As soon as the Treasury Department writes eligibility requirements, states will be responsible for establishing and managing the program, expected to begin accepting applications from people by the end of this year.

In Savannah, this means new doors could be opening for the thousands of people who struggle to find work because of a disability.

let's #passtheABLEact this year!

from the NDSS:

Great news... House and Senate Leadership continue to hear from the disability community that the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act (S. 313/H.R. 647) must pass this year! Keep it up!

We need you to make four easy phone calls, tweets and posts to ensure ABLE gets scheduled for a vote!

Please contact the following Leadership offices (all templates are provided below):

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid:
Leadership Office: (202) 224-2158
Talking Points & Sample Tweets

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell:
Leadership Office: (202) 224-3135
Talking Points & Sample Tweets

Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy:
Leadership Office: (202) 225-4000
Talking Points & Sample Tweets

Speaker John Boehner:
Leadership Office: (202) 225-0600
Talking Points and Sample Tweets

Thank you for all you do and let's #passtheABLEact this year!

Best,

Ginny Sessions Siller
Manager, Grassroots and Development Programming
National Down Syndrome Society
gsessions@ndss.org

A vote on the ABLE Act is close - we need your help today Wednesday 7/30!

URGENT Action Alert
House Ways & Means Committee to Hold Markup on the
Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act (S. 313/H.R. 647)

Advocates:

On Thursday, July 31, the House Ways & Means Committee will markup the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act (S. 313/H.R. 647)! We need your help to ensure the ABLE Act moves through the Committee process and to the House floor for a vote as quickly as possible.

Action Needed Immediately:

Please take a few minutes and contact Members of the House Ways & Means Committee to encourage all Members vote YES during Thursday's Markup on the ABLE Act. The contact information for each House Ways & Means Committee Members' office can be found below.
 

Majority Members	Phone	Facebook	Twitter
Dave Camp, MI Chairman	202-225-3561	Dave Camp, MI Chairman	RepDaveCamp
Sam Johnson, TX	202-225-4201	Sam Johnson, TX	SamsPressShop
Kevin Brady, TX	202-225-4901	Kevin Brady, TX	RepKevinBrady
Paul Ryan, WI	202-225-3031	Paul Ryan, WI	RepPaulRyan
Devin Nunes, CA	202-225-2523	Devin Nunes, CA	Rep_DevinNunes
Pat Tiberi, OH	202-225-5355	Pat Tiberi, OH	TiberiPress
Dave G. Reichert, WA	202-225-7761	Dave G. Reichert, WA	davereichert
Charles W. Boustany Jr., LA	202-225-2031	Charles W. Boustany Jr., LA	RepBoustany
Peter J. Roskam, IL	202-225-4561	Peter J. Roskam, IL	PeterRoskam
Jim Gerlach, PA	202-225-4315	Jim Gerlach, PA	JimGerlach
Tom Price, GA	202-225-4501	Tom Price, GA	RepTomPrice
Vern Buchanan, FL	202-225-5015	Vern Buchanan, FL	VernBuchanan
Adrian Smith, NE	202-225-6435	Adrian Smith, NE	RepAdrianSmith
Aaron Schock, IL	202-225-6201	Aaron Schock, IL	aaronschock
Lynn Jenkins, KS	202-225-6601	Lynn Jenkins, KS	RepLynnJenkins
Erik Paulsen, MN	202-225-2871	Erik Paulsen, MN	RepErikPaulsen
Kenny Marchant, TX	202-225-6605	Kenny Marchant, TX	RepKenMarchant
Diane Black, TN	202-225-4231	Diane Black, TN	RepDianeBlack
Tom Reed, NY	202-225-3161	Tom Reed, NY	RepTomReed
Tim Griffin, AR	202-225-2506	Tim Griffin, AR	RepTimGriffin
Mike Kelly, PA	202-225-5406	Mike Kelly, PA	MikeKellyPA
Todd Young, IN	202-225-5315	Todd Young, IN	RepToddYoung
Jim Renacci, OH	202-225-3876	Jim Renacci, OH	RepJimRenacci
Minority Members	Phone	Facebook	Twitter
Sander M. Levin, MI Ranking Member	202-225-3876	Sander M. Levin, MI Ranking Member	repsandylevin
Charles B. Rangel, NY	202-225-4365	Charles B. Rangel, NY	cbrangel
Jim McDermott, WA	202-225-3106	Jim McDermott, WA	repjimmcdermott
John Lewis, GA	202-225-3801	John Lewis, GA	repjohnlewis
Richard E. Neal, MA	202-225-5601	Richard E. Neal, MA	reprichardneal
Xavier Becerra, CA	202-225-6235	Xavier Becerra, CA	repbecerra
Lloyd Doggett, TX	202-225-4865	Lloyd Doggett, TX	replloyddoggett
Mike Thompson, CA	202-225-3311	Mike Thompson, CA	repthompson
John B. Larson, CT	202-225-2265	John B. Larson, CT	repjohnlarson
Earl Blumenauer, OR	202-225-4811	Earl Blumenauer, OR	repblumenauer
Ron Kind, WI	202-225-5506	Ron Kind, WI	repronkind
Bill Pascrell Jr., NJ	202-225-5751	Bill Pascrell Jr., NJ	billpascrell
Joseph Crowley, NY	202-225-3965	Joseph Crowley, NY	repjoecrowley
Allyson Schwartz, PA	202-225-6111	Allyson Schwartz, PA	allysonschwartz
Danny Davis, IL	202-225-5006	Danny Davis, IL	RepDannyDavis
Linda Sanchez, CA	202-225-6676	Linda Sanchez, CA	replindasanchez

Ways & Means Committee Call Script:

• As a constituent, I am calling to urge Congressman/woman [insert name] to vote YES during the House Ways & Means Committee markup on the ABLE Act (Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act) on Thursday.
  This bill is extremely important to my family - The ABLE Act is the most popular bill in Congress right now and has earned the support of almost 85% of the entire Congress.
• The ABLE Act has 74 Senators and 370 Representatives cosponsoring the bill.
• The ABLE Act would give people with disabilities and their families an ability to save for the future by establishing a tax-free 529 savings account for necessary expenses like housing, transportation, education, and medical costs associated with the disability.
• Thank you sincerely for your boss' leadership in helping us bring the ABLE Act up for a vote. We appreciate your boss' support and commitment to the ABLE Act.

Social Media Advocacy:

We are encouraging advocates to Facebook/Tweet Members of the House Ways & Means Committee to demonstrate the overwhelming bipartisan support for the ABLE Act. We've included two sample FB/T messages along with direct links to each Member's Facebook and Twitter handles.

Sample Facebook Post

Congressman/woman [insert last name], as your constituent, I am writing to urge you to vote YES during Thursday's House Ways & Means Committee markup on the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act (S. 313/H.R. 647).

The ABLE Act has the support of almost 85% of the entire Congress, and would establish a tax-free 529 savings account for people with disabilities to save for necessary expenses like housing, transportation, education, and medical costs associated with the disability. The bill has 74 Senators and 370 Representatives cosponsoring the bill!

Please help us #passtheABLEact this year! We appreciate your support!

Sample Tweet

.@RepDaveCamp please help millions of Americans with disabilities & vote YES to mark up of #PasstheABLEAct! @WaysandMeansGOP @WaysMeansCmte 

85% of Congress agrees, #passtheABLEact. Vote YES in the #ABLEact markup!

If you have any questions, please contact Ginny Sessions at: gsessions@ndss.org.Thank you for helping us #passtheABLEact; and as Sara Wolff said in her testimony last week, this year!

Sincerely,
Sara Hart Weir

For more information on the ABLE Act, please visit: http://www.ndss.org/Advocacy/Legislative-Agenda/Creating-an-Economic-Future-for-Individuals-with-Down-Syndrome/Achieving-a-Better-of-Life-Experience-ABLE-Act/

How the proposed ABLE Act will help parents of children with disabilities

by Mari-jane Williams from The Washington Post:
Last week several hundred disability rights advocates were on Capitol Hill to support the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act. The current version of the bill was introduced in February 2013 and would allow individuals with disabilities or their families to open a tax-sheltered savings account to pay for certain long-term expenses.
Sara Wolff, a woman with Down Syndrome who has collected more than 200,000 signatures on Change.org in favor of the ABLE Act, was on Capitol Hill on Feb. 27 to rally support for the bill.
The accounts would be similar to the current 529 program that allows families to save for college education, and would be called 529A accounts, said Sara Hart Weir, the vice president of advocacy for the National Down Syndrome Society.
I spoke with Weir by phone this week about the ABLE Act. Here are edited excerpts from that conversation.
What would the ABLE Act do?
It’s basically amending Section 529 of the tax code to create a specific account for people with disabilities. In order to qualify for a lot of services, folks can only save $2,000 in assets and earn $700 a month. That’s way below the poverty line. The current law dates to 1974, and it was a way to qualify for Medicaid

Crenshaw calls for support of ABLE Act

by Ripon Advance Reports:
House Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Ander Crenshaw (R-Fla.) called on Congress on Wednesday to pass the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act, which would provide people with disabilities access to tax-free savings accounts.
The ABLE Act has 305 cosponsors in the House and 50 cosponsors in the Senate. More than 50 local, state and national groups that advocate for people with disabilities have also supported the measure.
“Support for tax-free savings accounts for individuals with disabilities stands at its highest level ever — testament to the tireless dedication of those who believe that all Americans deserve equality when it comes to financial planning tools,” Crenshaw said. “It’s time to pass this legislation and create a brighter future for those in need.”
The bill is intended to relieve financial stress faced by people with disabilities by allowing tax-free savings accounts to cover certain expenses, including education, housing, medical costs and transportation.
Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) called the ABLE Act a “commonsense piece of legislation.”
“…(The ABLE Act) provides individuals with disabilities and their families with the resources to plan for a sound financial future while continuing to improve the quality of their lives today,” Burr said. “I am pleased to see such overwhelming bipartisan, bicameral support for this important bill and look forward to its consideration in the Senate.”

Will you sign the ABLE Act?

by Gina DiPietro from NBC 14:
A local organization is lobbying for rights of those with disabilities, and they're hoping you can help!
Smile on Down Syndrome says the ABLE Act, which stands for Achieving a Better Life Experience, allows those with disabilities to save money in a tax-free savings account. 
Executive Director Nikki Davis says those individuals can only save up to $2,000 at this time. If the ABLE Act passes, Davis says they can save up to $100,000 without losing benefits.
Davis says, "it's a savings account that they can use to save for healthcare expenses, educational expenses, things that sometimes we take for granted."
Congressman Larry Buschon and Senator Joe Donnelly have both come on board with the project. You can sign the act online in a matter of minutes by clicking here. 

Law makers pitching pet projects ahead of tax reform overhaul - ABLE Act

By Bernie Becker and Kevin Bogardus from The Hill:
Lawmakers in both parties are already touting their favorite pet projects for inclusion in tax reform.
Members say introducing a targeted proposal gives their issues extra attention and allows them to lay a marker before the real horse trading over a tax code overhaul begins.

Both Democrats and Republicans said that they checked in with senior tax-writers in their party before going public with their proposals, for fear of undermining House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.).
Still, lawmakers acknowledge that their favored causes  — such as Rep. Jim Gerlach’s (R-Pa.) planned proposal on conservation easements — will have a tough time becoming law on their own.
“What ends up on the cutting room floor, so to speak, is uncertain at this point. But these individual bills are all important in and of themselves. You want to try and build a consensus around them,” Gerlach, a member of the Ways and Means panel, told The Hill. “And hopefully at the end of the day, it’s part of the final piece.”
House GOP leaders are considering a push to attach a measure expediting tax reform to an increase in the debt ceiling, something that will likely need to be done before October.

Parents of children with disabilities pressure congress for help

from the Palm Beach Post:

Parents of children with autism, down syndrome and other disabilities are in Washington fighting for help. They want congress to pass the ABLE Act. It would let these families set up tax-free accounts. (Cox Washington Bureau)

Achieving a Better of Life Experience (ABLE) Act: 2013 Overview

from the NDSS:

The Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2013 (S. 313/H.R.647) was introduced in the 113th Congress by a bipartisan, bicameral set of Congressional Champions including Sens. Robert Casey, Jr., (D-PA) and Richard Burr (R-NC), and Reps. Ander Crenshaw (R-FL), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), and Pete Sessions (R-TX). 

The ABLE Act would amend Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Service Code of 1986 to create tax-free savings accounts for individuals with disabilities. The bill aims to ease financial strains faced by individuals with disabilities by making tax-free savings accounts available to cover qualified expenses such as education, housing, and transportation. The bill would supplement, but not supplant, benefits provided through private insurances, the Medicaid program, the supplemental security income program, the beneficiary’s employment, and other sources.

An ABLE account could fund a variety of essential expenses for individuals, including medical and dental care, education, community based supports, employment training, assistive technology, housing, and transportation. The ABLE Act provides individuals with disabilities the same types of flexible savings tools that all other Americans have through college savings accounts, health savings accounts, and individual retirement accounts. The legislation also contains Medicaid fraud protection against abuse and a Medicaid pay-back provision when the beneficiary passes away. It will eliminate barriers to work and saving by preventing dollars saved through ABLE accounts from counting against an individual’s eligibility for any federal benefits program.

You can do your part to advocate for the ABLE Act and other key Down syndrome legislative priorities at the 2013 Buddy Walk® on Washington!

ABLE Act Status

The ABLE Act was introduced in the US Senate and US House of Representatives on Feb. 13, 2013. You can find out if your two senators and representative are cosponsoring the ABLE Act of 2013 by clicking the links below:
Senate ABLE Act Cosponsors
House ABLE Act Cosponsors
You can find out if your two senators and representative cosponsored the ABLE Act of 2011 by clicking the links below:
Senate ABLE Act Cosponsors
House ABLE Act Cosponsors

Take Action

NDSS offers you different ways of contacting your Representative and Senators.

• Use our ABLE Act call-in template
• Use our ABLE Act email template

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NDSS Resources

• 113th Congress ABLE Act FAQ
• 113th Congress ABLE Act One-pager
• 113th Congress Letter of Support
• ABLE Act Press Conference Photo Gallery (November 2011)
• The ABLE Act: Full Steam Ahead in the US Congress

External Resources

• Crenshaw, Casey Re-Introduce Achieving a Better Life Experience Act
• Washington Times Article: ABLE Act is a Step Worth Taking
• Representative Ander Crenshaw (R-FL) Speaks on ABLE Act
• Lauren Potter ABLE Act PSA

Advocacy needed to push initiatives for people with disabilities

by William Daroff from JTA:
In the coming weeks and months, Congress will enact sweeping reductions in federal spending, finalize the 2013 federal budget and raise the debt ceiling. The cuts that will come with these decisions are not merely numbers on a ledger; they will decimate programs that directly impact the lives of the most vulnerable among us and the ability of social service agencies to serve them.
For individuals with disabilities who are aspiring for healthy, independent lives, this is a particularly critical time. The unemployment rates we associate with the slow recovery from the Great Recession pale in comparison to the persistent lack of employment opportunities that have ever been available to the disability community. The disincentive to work inherent in our social safety net, and the inability for those relying on it to build assets, makes upward mobility even more difficult.
The growing challenge for non-profit agencies to provide home- and community-based care makes independent living for many individuals with disabilities an impossibility.
This is why dozens of advocates representing a broad range of Jewish communities, religious streams, social service providers and public policy organizations traveled to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to promote the Community First Choice (CFC) option in Medicaid and the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act, both of which further the goals of ensuring individuals with disabilities can lead healthy, independent lives.
During the month of February, Jewish communities across North America observe Jewish Disability Awareness Month. It is an opportunity to raise awareness of the needs, strengths, opportunities and challenges of individuals with disabilities in our communities and to ensure we are building more inclusive communities that celebrate everyone among us. It is also an opportunity for us to engage with lawmakers and express support for public policy initiatives that lead to better outcomes for the disability community.