Washington, D.C. (July 24, 2025) – The National Organization on Disability (NOD) is proud to endorse the Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act (TCIEA).
Introduced today in the United States Senate by Senators Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Steve Daines (R-MT) and in the House of Representatives by Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA-3) and Pete Sessions (R-TX-17), TCIEA restores dignity and enforces basic fairness by ending one of the last legally sanctioned forms of discrimination: paying people with disabilities less than minimum wage for the same work.
Equal work deserves equal pay—yet for too long, employers have used outdated loopholes to justify paying people with disabilities as little as $2 an hour. Data consistently show that people with disabilities perform just as well as—if not better than—their non-disabled colleagues.
By requiring the Department of Labor to phase out 14(c) certificates, which allow employers to pay a subminimum wage to people with disabilities, and investing in critical employment supports, TCIEA will elevate workers with disabilities from segregated workplaces into the competitive workforce, where they will thrive.
For generations, NOD has stood resolute in its bipartisan commitment to advancing opportunities for the over 70 million Americans with disabilities. A disability can affect anyone, regardless of political persuasion, and we applaud Senators Daines and Van Hollen, and Representatives Scott and Sessions, for their steadfast leadership – removing the barriers preventing people with disabilities from achieving a fulfilling and meaningful career.
NOD strongly supports TCIEA, and we are committed to working in a bipartisan manner to see this legislation codified into law.
Time after time, individuals with disabilities demonstrate their resilience and perseverance in overcoming hurdles in an inaccessible society. Once TCIEA is signed into law, I’m confident they will rise to the occasion again.
Sincerely,
