Georgia moves closer to phase out subminimum wage for people with disabilities
The Brief
Georgia lawmakers are sponsoring a bill to end a practice that allows some Georgia employers to pay disabled workers subminimum wages.
Some workers with disabilities are paid as little as 22 cents an hour.
SB 55 would phase out the program that allows employers to pay disabled workers below the federal minimum wage.
ATLANTA - The "Dignity and Pay Act" would phase out a decades-old program that allows some employers to pay people with disabilities well below the federal minimum wage, with some receiving as little as 22 cents an hour.
This practice was implemented at the federal level in the 1930's under the Fair Labor Standards Act to provide employment opportunities to disabled workers.
What they're saying
Critics argue the program exploits people with disabilities and is discriminatory.
Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta spokesperson Sheryl Arno has been fighting for years at the state and federal level to end the program.
"They just – they want to be a part of the community," Arno told FOX 5. "They're okay paying taxes. They vote. They want to get married. They have the same hopes and dreams, but they need to be valued in the same light."
What's next
On Wednesday, Senate Bill 55 cleared a House Committee by unanimous vote.
If passed, employers would have two years to end their participation in the program.
Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities' spokesperson Leah Soller said the change is long overdue.
"There are, I believe, 11 states that have started to fully, or at least partially, phase out this subminimum wage." Soller explained.
The Source
FOX 5 Atlanta reporter Deidra Dukes interviewed Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta spokesperson Sheryl Arno and Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities' spokesperson Leah Soller for this report.
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