7 U.S. Senators Request Information on 14(c) Certificates from DOL

U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bob Casey (D-PA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Bernie Sanders (D-VT) wrote a letter to U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta to request information on how the Department of Labor (DOL) oversees 14(c) certificates, which allow employers to hire people with disabilities at less than minimum wage.

The letter states: “While the Department makes public a list of 14( c) certificate holders and the number of employees the certificate holder is permitted to hire, neither Congress nor the public knows how many individuals with disabilities are actually employed under the more than 1, 700 certificates. We also do not know what their rates of pay are. In order to better understand the program and the use of the subminimum wage, the Department should publicly report, on at least an annual basis, the pay rates of individuals with disabilities paid by employers using 14(c) certificates, at the national level, and at the state level.”

The letter goes on to lay out 11 specific information requests which the Senators would like to see addressed –  click here to see the full letter, which lays out the details of these requests. Additionally, click here to see Senator Warren’s press release on this letter.

ANCOR will be monitoring Secretary Acosta’s response to this letter and report any developments to members.