Senators Katie Britt, Tommy Tuberville, and Eric Schmitt and their colleagues introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen opportunities for Americans with disabilities.

On Friday, U.S. Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) announced that she would introduce the bipartisan Ensuring Nationwide Access to a Better Living Experience (ENABLE) Act with Senator Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri), who has also signed on as a co-sponsor of the bill.

The bill would allow people with disabilities and their families to save and invest through tax-free savings accounts while protecting their eligibility for federal programs like Medicaid and Supplemental Social Security Income (SSI).

“The ENABLE Act will empower families, expand economic opportunity for Americans with disabilities, and strengthen their futures,” said Senator Britt. “Every child should have a pathway to reach their full potential, and this bipartisan bill will give people with disabilities and their families more tools to succeed. I applaud Senator Eric Schmitt's steadfast leadership on this important issue and am proud to support his commonsense legislation.”

“Every human being was created by God and is born with dignity, including people with disabilities,” said Senator Tuberville. “Having worked in education for 40 years, I have seen firsthand how important it is for teachers, parents, community members and legislators to work together to help people with disabilities succeed. This legislation provides important protections to help people with disabilities invest, save and become independent.”

“My son, Steven, inspired me to run for office, and from day one, I've been a strong advocate for standing up and improving the lives of people with disabilities,” said Senator Schmitt. “The ENABLE Act is a fantastic bipartisan opportunity to ensure people with disabilities can access federal programs and protect their ability to invest and save. I thank Senators Casey, Boozman, Welch, Kaine, Van Hollen, Tuberville, Britt, Mullin, Cotton, Wyden and Klobuchar for their support, and I look forward to pushing this bill to the finish line.”

Other co-sponsors of the bill include Senators Bob Casey (D-Pennsylvania), John Boozman (R-Arkansas), Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), Markwayne Mullin (R-Oklahoma), Tim Kaine (D-Virginia), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), Peter Welch (D-Vermont), and Ron Wyden (D-Oregon).

The ENABLE Act is supported by Autism Speaks, the National Down Syndrome Association, the ABLE Savings Plan Network (ASPN), the National Association of State Treasurers (NAST), BPC Action, the Jewish Federations of North America, and the American Community Options and Resources Network (ANCOR).

Keith Wargo is president and CEO of Autism Speaks.

“I appreciate this bipartisan effort to improve the economic stability of people with autism and other disabilities,” said President Wargo. “ABLE accounts are an important tool that allow autistic people and their families to save for expenses such as accommodations for working-age autistic adults, accessible housing and transportation, assistive technology, and child care for children on the autism spectrum. By permanently expanding key elements of ABLE policy, the ENABLE Act will not only expand economic opportunity for the autism community, but also help people with autism achieve greater economic independence and stability.”

Senator Britt's office explained that there are more than 162,000 Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) accounts (or 529A accounts under the Internal Revenue Code). Created in 2014, these accounts allow people with disabilities and their families to save and invest through tax-free savings accounts without losing eligibility for federal programs such as Medicaid and Supplemental Social Security Income (SSI). Individuals with ABLE accounts save $1.74 billion annually.

There are three ABLE provisions that expire in 2025.

ABLE to Work: Individuals with disabilities who are employed can contribute additional amounts to an ABLE account. This additional contribution cannot exceed either the federal poverty level for a single-person household for the previous year ($15,060 in 2024) or the recipient's annual compensation.

ABLE Savings Credit: Individuals with disabilities who make qualifying contributions to an ABLE account are eligible for a nonrefundable savings credit of up to $1,000.

529 to ABLE Rollover: Individuals with disabilities can rollover funds from a 529 education savings account up to the annual ABLE contribution limits into an ABLE account without being subject to income tax.

The expiration of these provisions would create barriers for people with disabilities to save for their future needs while ensuring further utilization of federal safety net programs. Because Congress is one step away from blocking the reauthorization of these uncontroversial provisions, ENABLE would permanently enact these provisions into law, providing certainty.

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