[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 115 (Tuesday, July 28, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H8911-H8912]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               WIPA AND PABSS REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2009

  Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 3325) to amend title XI of the Social Security Act to 
reauthorize for 1 year the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance 
program and the Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social 
Security program.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3325

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``WIPA and PABSS 
     Reauthorization Act of 2009''.

     SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE WORK INCENTIVES PLANNING AND 
                   ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

       Section 1149(d) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
     1320b-20(d)) is amended by striking ``2009'' and inserting 
     ``2010''.

     SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE PROTECTION AND ADVOCACY FOR 
                   BENEFICIARIES OF SOCIAL SECURITY PROGRAM.

       Section 1150(h) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
     1320b-21(h)) is amended by striking ``2009'' and inserting 
     ``2010''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Tanner) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.


                             General Leave

  Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on H.R. 3325, the bill now under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Tennessee?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Today I want to join with our colleagues on the Social Security 
Subcommittee and Mr. Johnson, our ranking member, in support of this 
reauthorization for 1 year. It is a 1-year extension of two programs 
that help Social Security and Social Security beneficiaries return to 
work.
  The WIPA, the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance, program allows 
disability beneficiaries to get one-on-one assistance from community 
organizations to help them understand the rules and the effect they 
will have on their benefits if they return to work. The PABSS program, 
Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security, provides 
legal advocacy services to help beneficiaries get a job or keep their 
job. The disability advocates and the return-to-work experts have both 
testified before our subcommittee about the effectiveness of these 
programs and how they will help people return to the workplace.
  The reason we are doing this today is because the authorization for 
these programs will expire in September. The bill extends for 1 year 
the programs with no changes while the committee considers a longer-
term reauthorization. The bill does not increase government spending 
because it comes from the discretionary reserves of the Social Security 
Administration.
  What this bill actually does extending these programs, Mr. Speaker, 
is it actually helps people who have been sick or disabled who want to 
go back to work and become no longer a recipient of these sorts of 
public assistance to do so. So I think it is not only a worthwhile 
enterprise in terms of what the Subcommittee on Social Security has 
done, but it also is something that will strengthen the vibrancy of our 
economy as people who have been disabled or sick can actually return to 
the workplace.
  Today I join with my colleagues, Sam Johnson, Ranking Member of the 
Subcommittee on Social Security, and Jim McDermott, Chairman of the 
Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support, in support of the 
``WIPA and PABSS Reauthorization Act of 2009.'' This bill will extend, 
for one year, two programs that provide critical assistance for Social 
Security and Supplemental Security Income (SST) disability 
beneficiaries who are seeking to return to work.
  Both of these programs were originally established in the Ticket to 
Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999, which passed Congress 
with overwhelming bipartisan support. Under, the Work Incentives 
Planning and Assistance (WIPA) program, the Social Security 
Administration (SSA) funds community-based organizations to provide 
personalized assistance to Social Security and SSI disability 
beneficiaries who want to work, to help these beneficiaries understand 
SSA's complex work incentive policies and the effect that working will 
have on their benefits. This program can help to reduce the fears many 
beneficiaries have about transitioning to employment.
  Under the Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social 
Security (PABSS) program, SSA awards grants to designated Protection 
and Advocacy Systems to provide legal advocacy services that 
beneficiaries need to secure, maintain, or regain employment. The PABSS 
program also provides beneficiaries

[[Page H8912]]

with information and advice about obtaining vocational rehabilitation 
and employment services.
  The Subcommittee on Social Security has received extensive testimony 
from disability advocates, experts, and other stakeholders about the 
importance of these programs to increasing employment among disability 
beneficiaries.
  SSA is currently authorized to spend $23 million annually from its 
administrative budget to fund the WIPA program, and $7 million annually 
to fund the PABSS program. However, the authorization for both programs 
expires on September 30, 2009.
  This bill will extend the WIPA and PABSS programs for one year, with 
no changes, while the Committee considers a longer-term 
reauthorization. This 1-year extension will ensure that these programs 
can continue to provide disability beneficiaries with the assistance 
they need to seek employment. The bill does not increase government 
spending.
  I urge your support for extending these important programs.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SAM JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of passage of this important 
legislation and thank Mr. Tanner for bringing it up. He is doing a 
great job as the Social Security chairman.
  You know, choosing to work shouldn't be a hard decision to make for 
someone receiving Supplemental Security, because they are Social 
Security disability benefits. But it is, and that is because the folks 
have to think about how their wages will impact their cash benefits or 
their access to health care.
  With nearly unanimous support from both the House and Senate, almost 
10 years ago Congress passed Ticket to Work and the Work Incentives 
Improvement Act, a law that was about helping those with disabilities 
to get back to work in order to support themselves and their families. 
The two grant programs we would reauthorize today were created as a 
part of that landmark legislation.
  The Work Incentives Planning Assistance program funds community-based 
organizations to assist those receiving benefits to understand Social 
Security's complex rules and the effect of working on their benefits. 
Today, there are over 104 community-based cooperative agreements to 
ensure these services are available in all 50 States. Since the program 
began, over 350,000 people have been served.
  One example is the Work Incentive Planning Assistance program of 
Easter Seals in north Texas, which serves 19 counties in the north 
Texas area, including my district. Thanks to their good work over the 
past 3 years, their staff experts have served 1,302 people, and 184 of 
them now still have jobs.
  The Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security 
program funds 57 grant programs covering all 50 States. These programs 
served almost 2,500 people last year and helped those working or trying 
to work by responding to their questions and resolving potential 
disputes with their employer or with an agency providing them with 
return-to-work services.
  The authorized funding level of $30 million has remained constant 
since these programs were created. Should Congress not act, these 
programs would expire on September 30, 2009, and the funding would end.
  While I support a 1-year extension of these two important programs, 
at a Ways and Means Subcommittee on Social Security hearing, we learned 
that Social Security's primary return-to-work program, Ticket to Work, 
really hasn't been working. Fortunately, we are beginning to see 
promising signs of success in the Ticket program since new regulations 
to fix it were implemented last summer.
  Now, more than ever, how every taxpayer dollar is spent does matter. 
Programs that don't achieve results must be changed or must end. To 
that end, I look forward to working with Chairman Tanner and all the 
members of the committee to figure out how all return-to-work programs 
can achieve their goal of a job and self-sufficiency for those who 
choose to return to work.
  I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes.''
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Johnson.
  Mr. McDERMOTT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3325.
  The Work Incentives Planning and Assistance program and the 
Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security program 
play crucial roles in the lives of SSA's beneficiaries with 
disabilities.
  The two programs enable these beneficiaries to make informed choices 
about work as well as providing them with the necessary services to 
successfully transition back into the workforce.
  For instance, the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance Program 
helps guide them by providing important information about opportunities 
and resources that help them make an informed decision.
  Importantly, these programs provide services, free of charge, to 
individuals receiving Social Security Disability Insurance or 
Supplemental Security Income.
  A one year reauthorization will ensure that these vulnerable 
Americans may continue to receive guidance, support, and legal 
representation.
  At a time of increased economic hardship across the country, it is 
vitally important that we not forget those most in need.
  H.R. 3325 has strong bi-partisan support, as it should, and deserves 
overwhelming support when we vote in order to send a message to SSA 
beneficiaries with disabilities that they are not forgotten and we 
stand by their side.
  Mr. TANNER. I have no other speakers and yield back the balance of my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Tanner) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 3325.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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