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Independent Living News & Policy from the National Council on Independent Living

Urgent Action Alert: Hearing on Rehabilitation Act Tomorrow! Demand an ILA Now!

Rehab Act Subommittee Co-Chair Vicki HawsTomorrow in the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, a markup is scheduled for H.R. 4297, “Workforce Investment Improvement Act of 2012.” The meeting will take place at 10:00 a.m. June 7 in 2175 Rayburn House Office Building.

H.R. 4297 is the Republican proposal for the reauthorization of the Workforce Investment Act, and it contains the Rehabilitation Act, which is the underlying legislation for Centers for Independent Living (CILs) and Statewide Independent Living Councils (SILCs).

NCIL opposes efforts in this Republican bill to consolidate a large number of programs proposed by Congresswoman Foxx (R-NC), along with gutting supported employment. The most important problem NCIL finds with this legislation is that it does not create a new Independent Living Administration (ILA), an idea that has been adopted in the Democrat House bill to reauthorize the Rehabilitation Act, and the similar bipartisan Senate bill.

NCIL is urging advocates to call the Representatives involved with introducing H.R. 4297 to encourage them to work with all members of the Committee on Education and the Workforce to include the creation of the ILA. The creation of an ILA will reduce bureaucratic hurdles that stifle Independent Living at the federal level. Furthermore, creating and ILA comes with no significant costs to taxpayers.

Call these legislators to demand the creation of an ILA in the Rehabilitation Act!

  • Rep. John Kline (R-MN): 202-225-2271
  • Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC): 202-225-2071
  • Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon (R-CA): 202-225-1956

Rep. Joe Heck (R-NV): 202-225-3252