[NFB-NM] FW: ACTION ALERT: Phase out subminimum wage for employees with disabilities

[Tonia Trapp]

From: Adelmo Vigil [mailto:avigil74 at gmail.com] 
Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2017 5:04 PM
To: Don Burns; Curtis Chong; Tonia Trapp
Subject: Fwd: ACTION ALERT: Phase out subminimum wage for employees with disabilities

 



Adelmo Vigil President 

NFBNM 


Begin forwarded message:

From: "Trapp, Greg, CFB" <Greg.Trapp at state.nm.us>
Date: March 7, 2017 at 8:09:51 AM MST
To: Adelmo Vigil <avigil74 at gmail.com>
Subject: FW: ACTION ALERT: Phase out subminimum wage for employees with disabilities

 

 

From: Ellen Pinnes [mailto:epinnes at aol.com] 
Sent: Monday, March 06, 2017 6:49 PM
To: epinnes at msn.com
Subject: ACTION ALERT: Phase out subminimum wage for employees with disabilities

 

This message is from Ellen Pinnes for Disability Rights New Mexico.  Please do not respond to this email address.  Messages for Ellen should be sent to EPinnes at msn.com.

 

 

ACTION ALERT

 

Phase Out Sub-Minimum Wages for Employees with Disabilities

Support HB 327 and HM 93 

 

This Wednesday morning, the House Health and Human Services Committee is scheduled to vote on a bill and a memorial, sponsored by Rep. Joanne Ferrary, that would phase out the state law that allows for paying less than the minimum wage to employees with disabilities. 

 

Federal law allows some employees to be paid sub-minimum wages, but the state has the authority to override that and require at least the minimum wage for all employees.  HB 327 would repeal the state law that currently allows sub-minimum wages.  An amendment will be added to delay the repeal for three years, to allow plenty of time to plan for the transition. 

 

The companion memorial, HM 93, calls on the state Developmental Disabilities Planning Council to bring together a diverse group to recommend ways to facilitate the transition to requiring at least minimum wage for all employees with disabilities.  The task force can also determine whether there are any employees with disabilities who should be exempted from a minimum wage requirement; if so, the group could recommend such an exemption to the Legislature.  

 

Disability Rights New Mexico (DRNM) believes that the disability field is moving in this direction at the state as well as the federal level.  In fact, there are only three agencies left in the entire state that still pay less than the minimum wage to any of their employees.  DRNM supports the bill and the memorial because people with disabilities have the right to earn at least the minimum wage for the work they provide for their employers.  

 

If this issue is important to you, please contact members of the Health and Human Services Committee before Wednesday morning and ask them to support HB 327 and HM 93:

 

Member                                     Office Phone            Email

Rep. Deborah Armstrong, Chair      986-4840                deborah.armstrong at nmlegis.gov

Rep. Liz Thomson, Vice-Chair         986-4249                liz.thomson at nmlegis.gov

Rep. Gail Armstrong                     986-4467                gail at gailfornewmexico.com

Rep. Gail Chasey                          986-4411                gail at gailchasey.com

Rep. Rebecca Dow                       986-4453                rebecca.dow at nmlegis.gov

Rep. Joanne Ferrary                     986-4336                joanne.ferrary at nmlegis.gov

Rep. James Townsend                            986-4450                townsend at pvtn.net

 

Thanks for making the voice of the disability community heard!

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