U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., speaks throughout an election eve rally on the Philadelphia Museum of Artwork. A significant proponent of incapacity points, Casey will depart the Senate when his present time period ends after shedding his bid for reelection. (Charles Fox/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS)
A number of the most distinguished voices in Congress for house and community-based providers, Supplemental Safety Revenue reform, aggressive built-in employment and different incapacity points are heading for the exits.
A number of federal lawmakers who’ve prioritized points essential to this inhabitants will depart on the finish of the 12 months, some by alternative and others who have been voted out.
Notably, Sens. Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, each misplaced their bids for reelection final month.
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Casey, a three-term senator, has lengthy championed incapacity points. He was one of many leaders on the ABLE Act, a 2014 regulation that established tax-advantaged financial savings accounts for folks with disabilities, and has spearheaded laws to handle guardianships, enhance Medicaid house and community-based providers and section out subminimum wage, amongst different points.
As well as, Casey used his place because the chair of the Senate Getting old Committee to raise incapacity points, advocates stated.
“We see the lack of Senator Casey as fairly big,” stated Kim Musheno, vp of public coverage on the Autism Society of America. “Whereas we’ve got a quantity or incapacity champions within the Senate, Casey carved out a giant portion of his portfolio for incapacity points with devoted employees.”
Brown, in the meantime, has been pushing to elevate SSI asset limits for the primary time in many years.
On the Home aspect, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who has a son with Down syndrome, opted to not search reelection this 12 months. The ten-term Republican from Washington state yielded important affect throughout her time as chair of the Home Republican Convention and extra lately as chair of the Home Power and Commerce Committee. She was a frontrunner on the ABLE Act and has pushed for funding for Down syndrome analysis. McMorris Rodgers has additionally been a significant proponent of the Transformation to Aggressive Built-in Employment Act, which might section out subminimum wage and increase aggressive built-in employment for folks with disabilities.
Now, advocates say they want to forge relationships with incoming lawmakers and develop new allies.
“It is a lot of turnover among the many individuals who have been engaged on incapacity points to this point, however we’re assured that we will construct relationships with new legislators,” stated Zoe Gross, director of advocacy on the Autistic Self Advocacy Community. “Incapacity is a non-partisan challenge that impacts everybody in our society, and we are going to proceed to advocate for the rights and wishes of disabled folks within the new Congress.”
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