Bipartisan bill to widen federal help for disabled [View all]

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By HOPE YEN

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress is poised to allow Americans with disabilities to open tax-sheltered bank accounts to pay for certain long-term expenses — the broadest legislation to help the disabled in a quarter-century.

The House was set to vote Wednesday on the bill, called the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act, which stands out in a bitterly divided Congress for its wide-ranging support. First introduced in 2006, the legislation now lists an overwhelming 85 percent of Congress as co-sponsors, even after a conservative group criticized it as "decisive step in expanding the welfare state."

In the Senate, where Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., are co-sponsors, the bill was expected to move quickly in the lame-duck session once the House acts. It would be the first time that Congress passed major legislation for the disabled since the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act.

"This levels the playing field for people less fortunate than we are," said Rep. Ander Crenshaw, R-Fla., the bill's lead House sponsor. "And it demonstrates we can work together when it's something that affects so many people."

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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., accompanied by Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn of Texas, speaks with reporters following a closed-door policy meeting at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)


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