[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 145 (Wednesday, September 18, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6121-S6122]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



       Ensuring Nationwide Access to a Better Life Experience Act

  Mr. SCHMITT. Mr. President, I rise today in support of a very, very 
important piece of bipartisan legislation that, frankly, is personal to 
me. It is something that I believe is not only necessary but is common 
sense, and it is something that all of us can get behind and support 
wholeheartedly, and that is my bipartisan Ensuring Nationwide Access to 
a Better Life Experience Act, otherwise known as the ENABLE Act.
  As I noted before, this fight is personal for me. In my maiden speech 
nearly a year ago, I detailed that my call to enter public service was 
primarily because of my son Stephen. My wife Jaime and I noticed a 
birthmark on Stephen's leg when he was just a few months old, and I 
joke about how we thought so little of this initially that my wife 
trusted me to take Stephen to the doctor. We took him there, and it was 
discovered that he had more of these and that he had something called 
tuberous sclerosis, which is a rare genetic condition where tumors form 
on various organs, including his brain. So Stephen has been affected by 
that pretty severely. He is nonverbal. He is on the autism spectrum and 
has epilepsy.
  So we have had this journey with our son Stephen, including a 4-hour 
seizure, and through that process and that journey with my son, went 
through what I have referred to as a discernment process where--trying 
to decide what I wanted to do. I knew there was something more that I 
wanted to do, and for me, that calling was public service, so I decided 
to run for office.
  That is nearly 20 years ago now, but that journey that began with 
Stephen 20 years ago certainly affects how I view the world and the 
things that I passionately get behind, and this happens to be one of 
those.
  So here we are. That focus has led to legislation--not just my time 
in Missouri but now here in the Senate--and to be a voice, to be a 
voice for individuals with disabilities.
  ABLE accounts were created by Congress and signed by the President 
nearly 10 years ago. So one of the focuses that I have is to give those 
with disabilities a voice and achieving a better life experience with 
those accounts. These accounts were created in 2014 to allow 
individuals with disabilities and their families to save and invest for 
their future through tax-free savings accounts without losing any 
eligibility for Federal programs like Medicaid and supplemental 
security.
  This has long been a priority since I entered the political arena. 
While serving in the Missouri State Senate, I helped lead a successful 
effort to authorize Missouri's ABLE account program. During my time as 
State treasurer, before I was attorney general, I was proud to launch 
and champion the MO ABLE Program, helping Missourians with disabilities 
save and invest for their future. I know firsthand how beneficial these 
programs have been, considering my son Stephen was account No. 1 in the 
Missouri ABLE Program.
  There are over 162,000 of these ABLE accounts nationwide since the 
program's inception back in 2014. Thanks to these life-changing 
accounts, people with disabilities are empowered to secure employment 
and actively participate in society, to be their own person. These 
accounts empower individuals with disabilities.
  Unfortunately, there are three ABLE provisions that are set to expire 
in 2025. The sunsetting of these important provisions would create 
unnecessary barriers for individuals with disabilities to save for 
their future needs while also likely ensuring further utilization of 
Federal safety net programs. Sunsetting these programs would keep 
individuals with disabilities out of the workforce unnecessarily.
  Recently, I introduced the ENABLE Act, which would permanently 
enshrine these provisions into law, providing certainty to those 
individuals and their families. These provisions are not only 
nonpartisan, but they have also played an outsized role in the lives of 
those this program serves.
  Again, this simply allows individuals with disabilities to save the 
money they earn at their jobs. All people deserve access to save and to 
be financially secure, and this legislation would protect this access 
for the future.
  This bill is exactly why I entered public office in the first place--
to fight

[[Page S6122]]

for those who needed a voice. It is a commonsense, bipartisan solution 
that provides an easy fix for those who depend on ABLE accounts.
  I yield the floor.