US Senate Leaders Team Up to Back the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act.
Washington, DC, USA – March 24, 2014.
From www.ndss.org
The ABLE Act has amassed the support of 68 cosponsors from the US Senate and 345 cosponsors from the House of Representatives.
In a press release, two senators thanked their colleagues for their support.
“The ABLE Act now has support from a strong majority in both parties because it is a common sense approach that will help families of children with disabilities save and pay for their long term care. Passing the ABLE Act will help give these families peace of mind in knowing that they can better save for their loved ones.” The ABLE Act now has having the support of the two Leaders in the Senate gives the ABLE Act a stronger chance of being passed.
National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) board member and change.org author Sara Wolff states, “Families, like mine, need to rest assure that they can equally care for their children and adults with disabilities, just like they can for their other children and family members. Just because I have Down syndrome, that shouldn’t hold me back from achieving my full potential in life.”
“The news today that both Senate leaders have agreed to cosponsor the ABLE Act is giving new hope to the severely disabled and their families across [US] America,” said Senator Burr. “ABLE is a common sense piece of legislation that helps parents of the severely disabled save and prepare for their child’s lifetime of expenses. With such broad bipartisan support in both houses of Congress, it is my hope that 2014 is the year we finally pass the ABLE Act.”
NDSS Vice President of Advocacy and Affiliate Relations Sara Hart Weir said: “There is no other bill in the U.S. Congress that has as much bipartisan, bicameral support as the ABLE Act. People with disabilities can’t wait any longer for the passage of the ABLE Act. Passing this landmark legislation will go a long way to help people with Down syndrome and other disabilities realize and achieve their own hopes, dreams, and aspirations.”
By enacting the ABLE Act, Congress will not have to create a new program or give handouts. Congress will give the disability community the chance to provide and save for themselves through savings tools that all other US Americans have access to today. 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. This will ease financial strains felt by those individuals with disabilities by making tax-free savings accounts available to cover qualified expenses such as education, housing, and transportation.
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For more information see : https://www.ndss.org/About-NDSS/Newsroom/Recent-News/Senator-Harry-Reid-and-Mitch-McConnell-cosponsor-ABLE-Act/