Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar has been a big advocate for people with disabilities and supporting legislation that decreases everyday challenges and improves quality of living. The ABLE Act, which Klobuchar helped champion through the U.S. Congress, was signed into law by the president in December, and allows for the creation of new tax-advantaged savings accounts so that people with disabilities and their families can save for their futures and help cover important expenses like education, housing, and transportation.
Learn more about the ABLE Act by reading the following guest opinion article by Senator Klobuchar in the Brainerd Dispatch, the following is an exerpt.
“Minnesota’s own Hubert Humphrey once said that the moral test of our government isn’t just in how we treat the young, healthy, and able-bodied. It’s also how we treat the sick, the needy, and people with disabilities – those in need of a little extra support. These values are near and dear to our hearts in Minnesota, where we have long strived to ensure that people with disabilities have access to the same basic resources and opportunities as everyone else.
During my time in the Senate, I have worked to share those Minnesota values across the country. That’s why I helped lead the push in Congress to successfully pass bipartisan legislation called the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act – a law that will help people with disabilities and their families better plan for their futures.
The reality is that people with disabilities and their families face many challenges, and their expenses can add up in a hurry. Take just one example: the lifetime cost of care for someone with autism is an average of $2.4 million when the autism involves an intellectual disability. Those with disabilities also face unique barriers to finding and holding a job and living on their own because their access to certain safety-net programs can be lost once they establish a minimum level of savings and income.”