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<P DIR=LTR><B><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT COLOR="#333333" SIZE=7 FACE="Arial">Labor Department Weighs Future Of Subminimum Wage For Workers With Disabilities</FONT></SPAN></B><B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></B><B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></B><B><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></B></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B><FONT COLOR="#797979" SIZE=2 FACE="Georgia">by Michelle Diament </FONT></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT COLOR="#B3B3B3" SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">| October 23, 2023</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B></B></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><B></B></SPAN></P>
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<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT COLOR="#B3B3B3" SIZE=2 FACE="Arial">The U.S. Department of Labor is seeking input from stakeholders as part of a review of the Section 14(c) program. (Chuck Myers/TNS)</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>
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</U></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><A HREF="mailto:?subject=Labor%20Department%20Weighs%20Future%20Of%20Subminimum%20Wage%20For%20Workers%20With%20Disabilities&body=Check%20out%20this%20article%20from%20Disability%20Scoop:%20https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2023/10/23/labor-department-weighs-future-of-subminimum-wage-for-workers-with-disabilities/30596/"><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><U><FONT COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Georgia">Eail</FONT></U></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></A><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT COLOR="#333333" SIZE=4 FACE="Georgia">With big changes under consideration, federal officials want to hear from workers with disabilities about their experiences with a program that allows employers to pay them less than minimum wage.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT COLOR="#333333" SIZE=4 FACE="Georgia">The U.S. Department of Labor is launching a “series of stakeholder engagement sessions” as it embarks on a “comprehensive review” of what’s known as the Section 14(c) program.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT COLOR="#333333" SIZE=4 FACE="Georgia">The program, authorized under a law that dates back to the 1930s, allows businesses to receive special 14(c) certificates from the Labor Department permitting them to pay workers with disabilities less than the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR ALIGN=CENTER><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT COLOR="#797979" SIZE=1 FACE="Arial">Advertisement - Continue Reading Below</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT COLOR="#333333" SIZE=4 FACE="Georgia">Federal officials have been under pressure in recent years to do away with the subminimum wage employment model, which can leave workers with disabilities earning as little as pennies per hour.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT COLOR="#333333" SIZE=4 FACE="Georgia">Late last month, the agency</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT COLOR="#333333" SIZE=4 FACE="Georgia"> </FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><A HREF="https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2023/10/02/labor-department-scrutinizing-subminimum-wage-employment/30571/"><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><U><FONT COLOR="#00A3DA" SIZE=4 FACE="Georgia">indicated</FONT></U></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></A><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT COLOR="#333333" SIZE=4 FACE="Georgia"> that it would initiate a review of the program, a move requested by disability advocates, the Government Accountability Office, the National Council on Disability, the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights and the Labor Department’s Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment, among others, according to Taryn M. Williams, assistant secretary of labor for disability employment policy.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT COLOR="#333333" SIZE=4 FACE="Georgia">The Labor Department has not detailed exactly what the review will involve, how long it will take or what the outcome may be, but with the first listening session scheduled this week, the agency is signaling that work is underway.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT COLOR="#333333" SIZE=4 FACE="Georgia">“During the session, we welcome your input on important areas of focus for reviewing the 14(c) program, experiences with options for competitive integrated employment (CIE), lessons from states that have expanded CIE and/or prohibited subminimum wages, impacts of potentially ceasing to issue 14(c) certificates in the future, and any related issues,” the Labor Department said. “The department is interested in hearing the experiences of workers with disabilities, so we encourage worker advocates to include these examples in their remarks or to invite workers with disabilities to come share their stories directly.”</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT COLOR="#333333" SIZE=4 FACE="Georgia">The first stakeholder engagement session will be held virtually this Thursday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. ET and is open to the public, but</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT COLOR="#333333" SIZE=4 FACE="Georgia"> </FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><A HREF="https://usdol.webex.com/weblink/register/r795ef51409fcdb7e0376672d1f73c7c9"><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><U><FONT COLOR="#00A3DA" SIZE=4 FACE="Georgia">registration</FONT></U></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></A><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT COLOR="#333333" SIZE=4 FACE="Georgia"> is required no later than Wednesday.</FONT></SPAN></P>
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<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><A HREF="https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2023/10/23/labor-department-weighs-future-of-subminimum-wage-for-workers-with-disabilities/30596/"><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"><U><FONT COLOR="#0563C1" FACE="Calibri">https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2023/10/23/labor-department-weighs-future-of-subminimum-wage-for-workers-with-disabilities/30596/</FONT></U></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></A><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>
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<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=5 FACE="Arial">Richard Payne, President</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=5 FACE="Arial">National Federation of the Blind of Ohio</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=5 FACE="Arial">937/829/3368</FONT></SPAN></P>
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<P DIR=LTR><SPAN LANG="en-us"><FONT SIZE=5 FACE="Arial">The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the ex</FONT><FONT SIZE=5 FACE="Arial">pectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.</FONT></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN><SPAN LANG="en-us"></SPAN></P>
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