Amends Section 511 of the Rehabilitation Act to allow workers with disabilities aged 18 and older to accept subminimum-wage jobs (paid below the federal minimum wage under special employer certificates) if they voluntarily choose the position and have received vocational counseling on competitive employment alternatives. Under current law, that counseling requirement applies to workers 24 and younger as a prerequisite before an employer may use subminimum wages; the bill extends the framework to anyone 18 or older but adds explicit individual consent as a required condition. Workers under 18 retain separate transition-services and documentation requirements. A new exception lets employers satisfy the counseling condition when a state vocational agency fails to respond after documented outreach efforts.
Average Household Impact
- Minimum-wage floor for workers with disabilities ages 18–24 — subminimum pay now permitted when counseling and individual-consent requirements are met
- Individual-consent gate on subminimum-wage employment — worker agreement required as explicit statutory condition before employer may pay below minimum wage
Congressional Summary
Restoration of Employment Choice for Adults with Disabilities ActThis bill relaxes requirements that allow entities with a special wage certificate to pay subminimum wages to individuals with disabilities.Specifically, the bill eliminates a requirement that an individual with a disability who is age 24 or younger receive pre-employment transition services and meet specified vocational rehabilitation criteria before beginning subminimum wage work.The bill also relaxes career counseling and service referral requirements that apply to an individual with a disability who is paid at a subminimum wage. Current law requires an entity to ensure that an individual employed at subminimum wage receives periodic career counseling, information, and referrals to other services from the designated state agency. Under the bill, this requirement is met if the employer makes a documented effort to contact the state agency for those resources on behalf of the employee, and the state agency subsequently fails to provide the counseling, information, and referrals.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2026-05-12
- Date Added
- 2026-06-08
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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