[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 155 (Tuesday, December 16, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Page S6911]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  ACHIEVING BETTER LIFE EXPERIENCE ACT

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I want to thank my Senate colleagues for 
joining me in supporting and passing the Achieving Better Life 
Experience Act. I especially want to acknowledge Senator Robert Casey, 
who has been a champion for all people with disabilities and the ABLE 
Act for years.
  Earlier this year, Senator Casey introduced us to Sara Wolff--a 31-
year-old law clerk at O'Malley and Langdon in Scranton, PA. Since 2007, 
Sara has been an advocate for the National Down Syndrome Society. She 
also happens to have Down syndrome. Currently, Sara cannot have more 
than $2,000 in assets before her government aid is cut off. Every 
month, she works with her employer so that she doesn't earn more than 
$700. This enables Sara to maintain her much needed government 
benefits.
  Over a year ago, Sara lost her mother to a sudden illness. It was a 
tremendous loss--her mother was her No. 1 advocate. Before her mother 
passed, Sara promised her that she would fight to get the ABLE Act 
passed. Sara has her whole life ahead of her and she needs a savings 
account to plan for her future, and she is not alone. Thousands of 
people with disabilities are outliving their parents. Parents need the 
peace of mind that their children will be taken care of.
  Everywhere I go in Illinois, I meet people whose lives have been 
affected by disabilities. Take Gene and Lynn Bensinger--from the north 
side of Chicago. Gene and Lynn are the parents of two adult sons. Their 
oldest son, Nate, is 21 years old and has autism spectrum disorder. 
Nate is about to ``age out'' of services offered through Chicago Public 
Schools and will no longer be eligible for special education services 
that he relies on. Nate's parents, along with thousands of Illinois 
families, experience many sleepless nights worrying about their 
responsibility to financially support their adult children today, in 
the future, and long after they are gone. Without this important 
legislation, it is almost impossible for those with disabilities--like 
Nate and Sara--to save enough so that they can be financially 
independent.
  The ABLE Act will encourage and assist individuals and families to 
invest in private savings accounts, which can then be used to support 
activities that allow those with disabilities to maintain a healthy, 
independent life. Here's how it will work. The ABLE Act establishes 
tax-exempt accounts to assist parents of children with a disability to 
help provide for their long-term care. The accounts can be used to pay 
for medical care, dental care, education, housing, transportation and 
other community-based supports for individuals with disabilities. The 
money earned in an ABLE account would supplement but not replace 
Medicaid, Social Security, or other benefits. This would enable people, 
like Sara, to earn a livable wage and save for the future without 
worrying about losing coverage for critical health services.
  I thank Senators Robert Casey, Richard Burr, and 77 of my colleagues 
for cosponsoring this legislation. This is a true bipartisan effort. By 
passing this bipartisan bill today, Sara gets to keep her promise to 
her mother--and thousands of people with disabilities--like Nate--will 
finally be able to save for the bright futures they deserve.

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