[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 109 (Tuesday, July 10, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8946-S8949]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KENNEDY (for himself, Mr. Harkin, and Mr. Dodd):
  S. 1758. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to help 
individuals with functional impairments and their families pay for 
services and supports that they need to maximize their functionality 
and independence and have choices about community participation, 
education, and employment, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Finance.
  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Community 
Living Assistance Services and Supports Act, the CLASS Act. This 
important piece of legislation builds on the promise and possibilities 
of the Americans with Disabilities Act by helping the large numbers of 
Americans who struggle every day to live productive lives in their 
communities.
  Too many Americans are perfectly capable of living a life in the 
community, but are denied the supports they need.
  They languish in needless circumstances with no choice about how or 
where to obtain these services.
  Too often, they have to give up the American Dream, the dignity of a 
job, a home, and a family, so they can qualify for Medicaid, the only 
program that will support them.
  The bill we propose is a long overdue effort to offer greater 
dignity, greater hope, and greater opportunity.
  It makes a simple pact with all Americans--``If you work hard and 
contribute, society will take care of you when you fall on hard 
times.''
  The concept is clear, everyone can contribute and everyone can win. 
We all benefit when no one is left behind.
  For only $30 a month, a person who pays into the program will receive 
either $50 or $100 a day, based on their ability to carry out basic 
daily activities.
  They themselves will decide how this assistance will be spent, on 
transportation so they can stay employed, or on a ramp to make their 
home more accessible, or to cover the cost of a personal care attendant 
or a family caregiver.
  It will help keep families together, instead of being torn apart by 
obstacles that discourage them from staying at home.
  The bill will strengthen job opportunities for people with 
disabilities at a time when 70 percent are unemployed. They have so 
much to contribute and the bill will help them do it.
  It will save on the mushrooming health care costs for Medicaid, the 
Nation's primary insurer of long-term care services, which also forces 
beneficiaries to give up their jobs and live in poverty before they 
become eligible for assistance.
  The CLASS Act is a hopeful new approach to restoring independence and 
choice for millions of these persons and enabling them to take greater 
control of their lives.
  It is time to respect the rights and dignity of all Americans, and I 
look

[[Page S8949]]

forward to working with my colleagues to see this bill enacted into 
law.

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