A Rundown of Active Disability-related Legislation in 2023

Updated December 5, 2023 – This will be updated as we become aware of active legislation that will directly impact disabled Americans. If you are aware of disability-related legislation that is not listed here, please let us know.

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There are currently quite a few bills moving through the United States 118th Congress (2023-2024) for the specific benefit of disabled Americans, their families and caregivers.

Following is a list of active legislation and their status. We encourage you to contact your lawmakers and tell them what the passage of any of these bills could mean to you.

If you need help crafting a compelling message, check out our post on Instagram: Seven Tips for Effective Communication with Your Lawmakers

To learn how bills get passed, check out our post on Instagram: Back to Basics: Legislation 101

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More information can be seen on each bill by clicking on the small black triangle to the left of each bill.

H.R.1280 – Cerebral Palsy Research Program Authorization Act of 2023

Referred to the Subcommittee on Health on 03/10/2023 – This bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to carry out a research program that addresses diagnosis and treatment, public health surveillance, and other aspects of cerebral palsy

H.R.2715 – Keep Our Promise to America’s Children and Teachers (PACT) Act

4/19/23 – Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. (See S.1202 for summary)

H.R.1263 – Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act

02/28/2023 – Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. (See S.533 for summary)

H.R.3082 – MOBILE Act

05/08/2023 – Referred to the Subcommittee on Aviation – To require the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to issue regulations concerning accommodations for powered wheelchairs, and for other purposes.

H.R.5408 – SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act

09/12/2023 – Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means – The bill increases the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) resource limits from $2,000 to $10,000 for individuals and from $3,000 to $20,000 for married couples. The bill annually adjusts the limits for inflation.

H.R. 6451 – Mental Health Justice Act of 2023

11/16/2023 – Introduced – This bill would create a grant program that allows states, tribes, and localities to hire, train, and dispatch mental health professionals (rather than police officers) to respond to mental health emergencies when 911, 988, or another emergency hotline is called.

ABLE MATCH (Making ABLE a Tool to Combat Hardship) Act

Introduced July 26, 2023 – helps people with lower incomes participate in the ABLE program by creating a Federal dollar-for-dollar match for new and existing ABLE accounts held by individuals that make $28,000 annually or less. The match then tapers off for each dollar a person earns over $28,000.

S.1202 – Keep Our Promise to America’s Children and Teachers (PACT) Act

4/19/23 – Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions – would create a 10-year mandatory glide path to fully fund both Title I and IDEA, ensuring that education is a priority in the federal budget, especially for our country’s highest need schools.

S.533 – Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act

2/27/23 – Referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions – Directs the Department of Labor to award grants to states and certain eligible entities to assist them in transforming their business and program models to support people with disabilities by

• providing competitive integrated employment,
• assisting such individuals in finding and retaining work in such employment,
• providing integrated employment and integrated community participation and wraparound services for such individuals, and
• ensuring that such services comply with federal regulations for individuals receiving home and community-based services.

S.1459 – MOBILE Act

05/04/2023 – referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation – Require the Secretary of Transportation to:

• Issue a notice of proposed rulemaking requiring air carriers and foreign air carriers to publish dimensions of cargo holds;
• Evaluate the frequency and types of damage to wheelchairs and scooters;
• Develop and submit to Congress a strategic roadmap on researching the technical feasibility of accommodating passengers in wheelchairs in the main cabin; and
• If in-flight, in-wheelchair seating is determined to be technically feasible, assess the economic and financial feasibility of accommodating passengers with their wheelchairs in the main cabin during flight.

S.2767 – SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act

09/12/2023 – Referred to the Committee on Finance – The bill increases the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) resource limits from $2,000 to $10,000 for individuals and from $3,000 to $20,000 for married couples. The bill annually adjusts the limits for inflation.

S.100 – Better Care Better Jobs Act

1/26/23 – Referred to the Committee on Finance – Establishes programs and provides funds for state Medicaid programs to improve home- and community-based services (HCBS), such as home health care, personal care, case management, and rehabilitative services.

S.3118 – HCBS Relief Act of 2023

10/24/23 – Referred to the Committee on Finance – Provide for an emergency increase in Federal funding to State Medicaid programs for expenditures on home and community based services.