[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12447]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1230
                NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, this is the 31st 
anniversary of the creation of the National Council for Independent 
Living. NCIL is the leading organization for persons with disability.
  Thirty-two years ago, I began my career and life passion serving 
individuals who were living with life-changing disabilities. I'm proud 
to be one of the 214 cosponsors of the Achieving a Better Life 
Experience Act. The ABLE Act will ease the financial strains for 
individuals with disabilities. I'm also proud to be the author of the 
Special Needs Trust Fairness Act of 2013. This legislation removes the 
current barriers that prevent individuals with disabilities from 
independently creating a special needs trust. What we're talking about 
is individual independence and making sure that public policy is a 
tool, not a barrier, in achieving this goal.
  Once again, I want to thank the National Council for Independent 
Living for their leadership and service. Working with advocates such as 
the National Council for Independent Living, we will accomplish 
independence, dignity, and success for individuals living with 
disabilities.

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