| Additional Bills of Interest |
IDEA Full Funding Act (S. 1159) / Full Funding for IDEA Now Act (H.R. 526)/ Everyone Deserves Unconditional Access to Education (EDUCATE) Act (H.R. 821) S. 2185, H.R. 526, and H.R. 821 are similar bills that seek to provide increased funding to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. S. 1159 was introduced on April 19, 2007, by Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE). H.R. 526 was introduced on May 18, 2007, by Rep. John Larson (D-CT). H.R 821 was introduced on May 18, 2007 by Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD). None of these bills have had legislative movement date. The Community Choice Act of 2007 (S. 799 / H.R. 1621) The Community Choice Act (formerly known as the MiCASSA Act) was introduced by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) on March 7, 2007, and by Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-IL) on March 21, 2007. The legislation would permit Medicaid to pay for individuals with disabilities and older Americans to have access to community-based attendant services and supports in their homes and communities. While this legislation has received some attention from the disability community, there has been no legislative movement to date. Disability Savings Act of 2008 (S. 2741) / Financial Security Accounts for Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2008 (S. 2743 / H.R. 2370) S. 2741, S. 2743, and H.R. 2370 are similar bills that permit the establishment of a tax-exempt savings account for disabled individuals in order to pay for certain expenses, including education, medical care, employment training, and related activities. The bills permit a disabled individual under the age of 65, their spouse, or their legal guardian to maintain such an account at a qualified bank up to a cap of $250,000 (S. 2741) or $500,000 (S. 2743 / H.R. 2370). The value of the savings account (up to the cap) is exempt from taxation and any distributions from the account that are used to pay for qualified services or products provided to the account beneficiary (i.e., the disabled individual) are not included in the beneficiary's gross income and thus are tax-free. Each of the bills permits rollovers from qualified tuition accounts to the disability savings accounts. S. 2741 permits a tax credit equal to 50 percent of an individual's monetary contribution to the savings account in a calendar year up to a cap of $2,000; it also permits qualified banks to receive a $50 tax credit for every disability savings account maintained that retains a balance of at least $100. S. 2743 permits individuals to receive a tax-deduction up to $2,000 for monetary contributions made to a disability savings account in a calendar year. Each of the bills permits the accounts to be disregarded in determining an individual's eligibility for Medicaid and other means-tested federal programs - this is to ensure that individuals do not lose Medicaid or other coverage due to the maintenance of a disability savings account. S. 2741 is sponsored by Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-CT) and has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee. S. 2743 is sponsored by Sen. Robert Casey (D-PA) and Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee. H.R. 2370 is sponsored by Rep. Ander Crenshaw (R-FL) and has 89 cosponsors - it has been referred to the House Ways & Means Committee.
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