Tom Cotton (R-AR)
Restoration of Employment Choice for Adults with Disabilities Act
A Republican bill with no cosponsors
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, titled the "Restoration of Employment Choice for Adults with Disabilities Act," seeks to amend the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The changes specifically target the use of subminimum wages for workers with disabilities. It expands the age range for individuals eligible to accept such employment to include those 18 or older. Additionally, it introduces new provisions regarding how entities can satisfy certain requirements through documented contact with State units. The amendments are set to apply to employment occurring on or after the date the act is enacted.
Yes
- Scored +4
Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this?
The bill increases employment opportunities for young adults aged 18 to 24 by allowing them to opt into subminimum wage employment.
- Scored +4
Would people with disabilities be better off under this?
The bill expands the scope of individuals with disabilities who can choose to enter specific employment arrangements.
- Scored +3
Does this expand the rights of people with disabilities?
The bill expands employment choice and opportunities for adults with disabilities by allowing them to accept subminimum wage positions.
The opposite
- Scored -5
Does this raise the lowest wage an employer may pay?
The bill permits subminimum wages for individuals aged 18 or older, which reduces the floor for wages paid to these workers.
- Scored -2
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?
The bill facilitates the acceptance of wages below the standard minimum wage for eligible individuals.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Expanded Age Eligibility: By changing the age requirement from "24 or younger" to "18 or older," the bill allows a broader range of young adults with disabilities to access these employment opportunities (Section 2, subsection (a)).
-
Increased Workplace Choice: The addition of a new paragraph allows an individual to accept employment if they choose to do so, which aims to ensure workplace choice (Section 2, subsection (a)).
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Alternative Requirement Satisfaction: The bill provides a way for entities to satisfy requirements if they make documented efforts to contact a designated State unit that then fails to provide specific services (Section 2, subsection (c)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Changes to Wage Protections: The bill modifies the language regarding the use of subminimum wages, replacing "No" with "Any" and changing the age thresholds, which alters the existing framework of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 2, subsection (a) and (b)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would people with disabilities be better off under this? — The bill expands the scope of individuals with disabilities who can choose to enter specific employment arrangements. Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this? — The bill increases employment opportunities for young adults aged 18 to 24 by allowing them to opt into subminimum wage employment. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — The bill facilitates the acceptance of wages below the standard minimum wage for eligible individuals.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this raise the lowest wage an employer may pay? — The bill permits subminimum wages for individuals aged 18 or older, which reduces the floor for wages paid to these workers.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this expand the rights of people with disabilities? — The bill expands employment choice and opportunities for adults with disabilities by allowing them to accept subminimum wage positions.
- 7/15/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- Introduced in Senate
3 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.