<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto">Most of them seem worthy of our support. <br><br><div dir="ltr">Sent from my iPhone</div><div dir="ltr"><br><blockquote type="cite">On Feb 20, 2022, at 6:35 PM, Ericka via Job-Discussions <job-discussions@nfbnet.org> wrote:<br><br></blockquote></div><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">Very informative and helpful. Thank you for bringing the information to this list!<br><br><div dir="ltr"><span style="color: rgb(69, 69, 69); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 47px; text-decoration: -webkit-letterpress;">Ericka Nelson</span></div><div dir="ltr"><br><blockquote type="cite">On Feb 20, 2022, at 3:16 PM, Kane Brolin via Job-Discussions <job-discussions@nfbnet.org> wrote:<br><br></blockquote></div><blockquote type="cite"><div dir="ltr"><span>Greetings.</span><br><span></span><br><span>I am writing to motivate discussion of--or perhaps action on--some</span><br><span>information I</span><br><span>obtained while attending the most recent Zoom meeting of the Indiana</span><br><span>affiliate of the Association of People Supporting Employment First,</span><br><span>which is abbreviated using the acronym A.P.S.E. but which is</span><br><span>pronounced Appsy. . I first became aware of APSE when Christopher</span><br><span>Meyer, a young blind businessperson and civil rights activist in my</span><br><span>home state, introduced me to Ms. Tina Skeel, who directs APSE's</span><br><span>initiatives in Indiana. Subsequently, I have kept in touch with</span><br><span>Indiana's APSE affiliate ever since, as they have drafted me into the</span><br><span>informal role of being a delegate or ambassador from the NFB of</span><br><span>Indiana to the Indiana branch of APSE.</span><br><span></span><br><span>APSE promotes the successful employment of all people with</span><br><span>disabilities. APSE is very much onboard with the Transition to</span><br><span>Competitive and Integrated Employment Act (H.R.2373 and S.3238) which</span><br><span>played an</span><br><span>important role in the NFB Washington Seminar just concluded. But they</span><br><span>are interested in the passage of several other bills, too, which are</span><br><span>not on either the NFB's list of legislative priorities or the ACB's</span><br><span>list of legislative imperatives.</span><br><span>I suggest that those of us who are blind, who are legislatively minded</span><br><span>and passionate about employment of the blind, might wish to</span><br><span>investigate and consider pitching the following six proposed laws to</span><br><span>our representatives and senators. I highly welcome feedback.</span><br><span></span><br><span>• National Apprenticeship Act (H.R.447). This bill already has passed</span><br><span>the House of Representatives, so it is positioned better than most</span><br><span>disability bills actually to become a law in 2022 while the 117th</span><br><span>Congress is still serving. “.The bill provides statutory authority</span><br><span>for the Office of Apprenticeship (OA) within Labor. The OA's</span><br><span>responsibilities include (1) supporting the development of</span><br><span>apprenticeship models; (2) recognizing qualified state apprenticeship</span><br><span>agencies, and operating apprenticeship offices in states without a</span><br><span>recognized agency; (3) providing technical assistance to state</span><br><span>agencies; (4) periodically updating requirements for each occupation</span><br><span>in the apprenticeship program and determining whether to approve new</span><br><span>occupations for the program; (5) promoting greater diversity in the</span><br><span>national apprenticeship system; and (6) awarding grants provided by</span><br><span>this bill.” H.R.447 does not have a separate Senate bill number, as</span><br><span>it already passed the House chamber before being sent to the Senate.</span><br><span>It is in front of the Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions Committee</span><br><span>of the U.S. Senate.</span><br><span>https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/447/text?r=89&s=1</span><br><span>• Disability Employment Incentive Act (S.630). This was introduced by</span><br><span>U.S. Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and is in front of the Senate</span><br><span>Finance Committee, although they’ve not yet held a hearing on it. A</span><br><span>House version does not yet exist. . “This bill expands tax credits</span><br><span>and deductions that are available for employers who hire and retain</span><br><span>employees with disabilities. The bill expands the work opportunity tax</span><br><span>credit to include the hiring of employees who receive Social Security</span><br><span>Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. For employers who hire</span><br><span>vocational rehabilitation referrals, Supplemental Security Income</span><br><span>recipients, or SSDI recipients, the bill also (1) increases the amount</span><br><span>of wages that may be taken into account for the credit, and (2) allows</span><br><span>an additional credit for second-year wages.”</span><br><span>https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/630?s=1&r=77</span><br><span>• Relaunching America’s Workforce Act (H.R.602 and S.200). “This bill</span><br><span>establishes several grant programs to address employment, the</span><br><span>workforce, and education access in response to the COVID-19 national</span><br><span>emergency. The Department of Labor must provide grants in response to</span><br><span>the COVID-19 national emergency to provide training and employment for</span><br><span>dislocated, unemployed, and underemployed workers; support youth</span><br><span>employment; establish workforce information systems improvements;</span><br><span>provide reentry employment opportunities for justice-involved youth</span><br><span>and young adults; and create or expand apprenticeship programs.”</span><br><span>H.R.602 is in front of the Education and Labor Committee in the U.S.</span><br><span>House. The Senate version S.200 is in front of the Health, Education,</span><br><span>Labor, & Pensions Committee after having been sponsored originally by</span><br><span>U.S. Senator Patty Murray of Washington State.</span><br><span>https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/200/text?r=1&s=1&format=txt</span><br><span>• ABLE Age Adjustment Act (H.R. 1219 and S.331). “This bill increases</span><br><span>from 26 to 46 the age threshold for tax-favored ABLE (Achieving a</span><br><span>Better Life Experience) accounts. (ABLE accounts are designed to</span><br><span>enable individuals with disabilities to save for and pay for</span><br><span>disability-related expenses. To establish an account, an individual</span><br><span>must have a qualifying impairment that began before the individual</span><br><span>attained the age threshold.)” The House version H.R.1219 was</span><br><span>introduced by Tony Cárdenas of California; it sits in the House Ways</span><br><span>and Means Committee. The Senate version S.331, introduced by Bob</span><br><span>Casey from Pennsylvania, sits in the Senate Finance Committee.</span><br><span>https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1219</span><br><span>https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/331</span><br><span>• Supplemental Security Income Restoration Act (H.R.3824 and S.2065);</span><br><span>The House version was introduced by Raúl Grijalva of Arizona. The</span><br><span>Senate version was sponsored by Sherrod Brown of Ohio. This is in the</span><br><span>House Budget Committee and the Senate Finance Committee. It proposes</span><br><span>to amend Title XVI of the of the Social Security Act to update</span><br><span>eligibility for the SSI program. A summary is not yet available for</span><br><span>either House or Senate versions; but this is worth watching, according</span><br><span>to APSE. If interested, You can read the full text of this bill at</span><br><span>https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/2065/text.</span><br><span>• Work Without Worry Act (H.R.4003 and S.2108). John Larson of</span><br><span>Connecticut introduced the House version, which is in the House Ways</span><br><span>and Means Committee. Don Wyden of Oregon introduced the Senate</span><br><span>version S.2108, which is in the Senate Finance Committee. This</span><br><span>proposes To amend title II of the Social Security Act to eliminate</span><br><span>work disincentives for childhood disability beneficiaries. A summary</span><br><span>is not yet available; but again, this is worth watching. Full text is</span><br><span>available at https://www.congress.gov/117/bills/hr4003/BILLS-117hr4003ih.xml.</span><br><span></span><br><span>Thank you.</span><br><span></span><br><span>Kind regards,</span><br><span></span><br><span>Kane Brolin</span><br><span></span><br><span>_______________________________________________</span><br><span>Job-Discussions mailing list</span><br><span>Job-Discussions@nfbnet.org</span><br><span>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/job-discussions_nfbnet.org</span><br><span>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Job-Discussions:</span><br><span>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/job-discussions_nfbnet.org/erickanelson88%40gmail.com</span><br></div></blockquote><span>_______________________________________________</span><br><span>Job-Discussions mailing list</span><br><span>Job-Discussions@nfbnet.org</span><br><span>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/job-discussions_nfbnet.org</span><br><span>To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for Job-Discussions:</span><br><span>http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/job-discussions_nfbnet.org/dickblind%40gmail.com</span><br></div></blockquote></body></html>