[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 17532-17533]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               THE ACHIEVING A BETTER LIFE EXPERIENCE ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ANDER CRENSHAW

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 15, 2011

  Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the bipartisan, 
bicameral Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2011. The ABLE Act 
is a much needed, long overdue, savings tool for individuals with 
disabilities.
  I would like to thank my colleagues in the Senate, Senator Casey and 
Senator Burr for their tireless efforts to introduce a companion bill 
in the U.S. Senate. I would also like to thank Representative McMorris 
Rodgers for her pivotal role in crafting this meaningful legislation.
  The federal government gives American families a helping hand in 
saving for the future. Accounts with special tax advantages help people 
save for college, retirement, healthcare and other life events--but 
people with disabilities have different challenges for the future, some 
face decades of expenses that most of us cannot even imagine. Yet, they 
do not have access to the same advantages that our tax code provides 
others.
  The average cost of raising a child with a significant medical 
disability is more than $1 million over the course of the child's 
lifetime. Continuing education, transportation, housing and medical 
care make up some of the predictable costs on that staggering bill. 
ABLE accounts would relieve some of that burden by allowing parents 
with disabled children or family members of disabled individuals to 
invest through a tax-deferred 529 account that could be drawn from for 
these future expenses. No longer would parents have to stand aside and 
watch as others use IRS-sanctioned tools to lay the groundwork for a 
brighter future. They would be able to do so for their children as 
well.
  The ABLE Act amends Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
to provide for the establishment of ABLE accounts for the care of 
family members with disabilities through tax-free savings accounts.
  Mr. Speaker, this bipartisan, bicameral legislation tackles the 
unfairness in our tax code head-on by creating tax free savings 
accounts for individuals with disabilities. ABLE accounts

[[Page 17533]]

will make long-term health, greater independence, and a fuller quality 
of life a possibility. No longer would individuals with disabilities 
have to stand on the sidelines and watch others use IRS-sanctioned 
tools to lay the groundwork for a brighter future.
  The cost to reform the U.S. Tax Code to offer ABLE accounts would be 
minimal, but the positive impact for individuals with disabilities, 
their families and others who are struggling to cope with an uncertain 
future would be sizable.
  We must move beyond the policies of the past that force individuals 
with disabilities to live in poverty. The ABLE Act allows individuals 
with disabilities to save, work, and earn just like any other American. 
As citizens of this great and prosperous country, we must speak up for 
those who cannot speak for themselves. Helping disabled Americans 
``achieve a better life experience'' is a step forward toward equality 
with every other American--and it's a step worth taking.

                          ____________________