Help Ensure That Streaming Services, Video Conferencing, and Emergency Services are Accessible!
Since Congress last passed accessibility standards for communications technology in 2010, entirely new categories of technology have been developed, such as video conferencing and video streaming services. Who could have known in 2010 that video conferencing services such as Zoom and Teams would become a staple of a typical workday, or that so many households would get most of their entertainment through online streaming services instead of DVDs and cable? Americans now depend on access to these technologies in order to find and retain employment, to access emergency services, and to enjoy their leisure time. The Communications, Video, and Technology Accessibility Act (CVTA) would bring telecommunications accessibility standards up to date with current advances in technology.
Act Now to Break the Cycle of Poverty for SSI Recipients and End the Marriage Penalty!
Millions of low-income people with disabilities and older adults receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) each month. For these recipients, SSI is a vital source of income that pays for rent, food, transportation, and other living expenses. However, people who receive SSI are trapped in a cycle of enforced poverty. To receive SSI, an individual may have no more than $2,000 in savings at any given time. If a person works part-time or sporadically, their income plus SSI benefits may easily put them over the $2,000 asset limit. This disincentivizes working and saving money. If two people who both receive SSI get married, they are not each allowed to have $2,000 in assets; they are only allowed to have $3,000 between them. This is known as the “marriage penalty,” because it prevents many couples who receive SSI from getting married. The extremely low asset limits prevent low-income people with disabilities and older adults from working, saving, and getting married.
The bipartisan SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act would increase the SSI asset limits from $2,000 to $10,000 for unmarried individuals and eliminates the marriage penalty by allowing two SSI recipients to get married and have up to $20,000 in assets as a couple. The bill also requires asset limits to be adjusted yearly to keep up with the cost of living.
Congress needs to hear from you about Competitive Integrated Employment!
The Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (TCIEA) has been introduced. This bill would phase out 14c certificates, which allow employers to pay people with disabilities below the minimum wage, over the next five years. The bill would also provide grants and technical assistance to states and employers who currently pay their employees under the minimum wage to help them transition their business models to competitive, integrated employment.
