[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 83 (Monday, June 14, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6941-S6942]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    WORK INCENTIVES IMPROVEMENT ACT

  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I rise today to join a bipartisan chorus of 
Senators who have requested we take up action on Senate bill S. 331, 
the Work Incentives Improvement Act.
  As my colleagues know, this legislation would remove a significant 
barrier that individuals with disabilities face when they are trying to 
return to the workforce. The significant barrier is continued access to 
health care if they leave SSDI or SSI programs. Currently, individuals 
with disabilities who are eligible for Social Security disability 
insurance, SSDI, or supplemental security income, SSI, face the dilemma 
of losing their Medicare and Medicaid health benefits simply because 
they return to work.
  This is regrettable. According to surveys, about three-quarters of 
individuals with disabilities in the United States who enroll in SSI or 
SSDI want to work. Sadly, less than one-half of 1 percent are actually 
able to make the transition because--this is a major reason--they are 
afraid once they lose their health care they will be unable to support 
themselves. Whatever they earn by working they lose by forfeiting their 
health care.
  We can correct this situation by simply extending eligibility to 
Medicare and Medicaid for these individuals. We can provide them a 
helping hand to move from unemployment to contributing to our economy 
and to our society.
  With the Americans With Disabilities Act, we passed legislation to 
combat discrimination and remove physical barriers from the workplace. 
Now we have a chance to lift a health care roadblock which is stopping 
many people from moving from a place of unemployment to one in which 
they are fully participating in our economy.
  In my home State of Rhode Island, there are more than 40,000 
individuals with disabilities who are eligible for SSI or SSDI. These 
individuals could benefit immediately from this work incentives bill. 
Across the country, there are about 9.5 million people who are 
similarly situated who could benefit from this legislation.
  In addition to the simple argument about fairness and giving everyone 
the chance to fully use their talents to benefit not only themselves 
but their community, there is another compelling reason. We are all 
familiar with the solvency crisis with respect to Social Security but 
what is less familiar is that with respect to our disability insurance 
fund--which is part of Social Security--there is also a crisis. Indeed, 
while the old age and survivors portion of Social Security will be able 
to pay full benefits until the year 2036, the disability insurance 
portion becomes insolvent 16 years earlier, in 2020.
  If we help disabled workers return to the workforce, we will, in 
effect, also be reducing the cash payments out of this disability 
insurance fund which will give it longer solvency, which will be a way 
to address a problem that is lurking just over the horizon in the year 
2020.
  For economic reasons, as well as our commitment to the basic ideal of 
allowing Americans to use all of their talents, this legislation makes 
a great deal of sense.
  Now, we have seen this legislation proposed under the able leadership 
of Senator Jeffords and Senator Kennedy. This Work Incentives 
Improvement Act was nearly adopted at the end of last Congress because 
of their effort. I was a very proud cosponsor of that version. This 
year, Senators Roth and Moynihan have also stepped up to take major 
leadership roles. Indeed, we have more than 70 cosponsors. This is a 
piece of legislation that is bipartisan, with strong support in both 
caucuses. Because of this support, because of the efforts of the 
leadership of Senator Roth and Senator Moynihan, this bill passed the 
Finance Committee on March 4, 1999, but we have been waiting for 
several months to bring it to the floor, to get it passed, and to give 
disabled Americans a chance at better employment.

  In March, we were able to take another bill with bipartisan support, 
the Ed-Flex bill, and work through the problems. The reason we were 
able to do that was we decided to act, we decided not to let 
legislation be bottled up, but to move it to this floor, and from this 
floor to the President for his signature.
  We have today with respect to this disability legislation twice the 
inherent support in terms of numbers of Senators, and it also has 
grassroots support with more than 100 groups endorsing this bill. This 
support runs the gamut from advocacy groups for disabled Americans all 
the way to the insurance industry. With this type of support, both 
within this Chamber and across the country, we should be able to move 
this just as we moved the Ed-Flex legislation a few months ago.
  Also, I was pleased to note that in a May 28 edition of the 
Washington Post,

[[Page S6942]]

the majority leader indicated he was satisfied with the status of this 
bill and ready to move to the floor. It is my hope we can adopt this 
legislation, that we can bring it here, that we can debate it, and we 
can move it forward. If we do so, we will be providing an opportunity 
for disabled Americans all across this country to use their talents for 
their own benefit and to contribute to the communities and to this 
Nation. That, I think, is the essence of why we are here--for wise 
legislative policies that allow Americans to use their talents to 
benefit themselves and this country.
  I hope we adopt this very quickly. That means, of course, we schedule 
this legislation; that we will, in fact, bring to the floor the Work 
Incentives Improvement Act for a vote. If we do so, we will be doing 
the work we were sent here to do by our constituents.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative assistant proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Bennett). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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