Capitol Correspondence - 08.02.22

House Energy & Commerce Committee Republicans Release Report and Request for Information on Disability Policy

House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee Republicans released a report and request for information (RFI) titled Disability Policies in the 21st Century: Building Opportunities for Work and Inclusion.

The report outlines three main goals to removing barriers facing by people with disabilities:

Ensuring access to long-term services and supports by eliminating waiting lists for such care in Medicaid and making coverage options more affordable for those not covered by Medicaid.
Making communities and daily life more accessible for people with disabilities by supporting access to assistive technologies and enforcing accommodation requirements in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 in health care settings.
Moving the workforce toward integrated employment by eliminating programs that pay workers with disabilities wages lower than state and federal minimums, and by providing supports and funding opportunities for accommodations in the workplace.

“To continue improving the lives of people with disabilities, Congress must reevaluate our nation’s safety net to ensure that it is working for those that need it and not holding them back from reaching their full potential,” the report reads.

Feedback on the RFI is due no later than September 26.