In the long history of a state dating beyond 206 years, 24 weeks is but a blip.
That’s the exact interval since a June 11 column exploring the fate of legislation that didn’t advance by the end of the regular spring General Assembly session. Among those was House Bill 793, a plan to phase out the subminimum wage for 14(c) workshops, the classification for job centers serving people with developmental disabilities.
In late May, the House sent the bill to the Senate on a 78-30 vote. Although it picked up six sponsors, the plan stalled in the Assignments Committee. There it sat until Nov. 6, when it moved to the Senate Executive Committee. On Nov. 20 that committee advanced the bill on a 9-3 vote, then the next day the full Senate voted 43-11 in favor. That satisfied the 3/5 requirement in place for the fall veto session, which means it awaits a signature from Gov. JB Pritzker. That appears to be only a formality.
“The Dignity in Pay Act is an unprecedented, crucial leap forward to a future where all individuals, regardless of ability, can maximize their talent and contributions to our workforce – and earn a fair wage,” Pritzker said in a statement Thursday. “We will join more than a dozen states in phasing out this practice over the next five years.”
That would make it about a decade since advocates first garnered momentum for this change, advancing various versions of the legislation only to hit walls in multiple General Assembly sessions. Though opposition clearly remains, the May House vote rewarded supporters who worked that entire time to amend the original plan, earning buy-in from stakeholders and convincing enough lawmakers they could back the final version.
Pritzker’s statement addressed some of those aspects: “The law will create employment opportunities for people with disabilities by providing a five-year transition period for employers and employees, establishing a support program to provide resources and assistance to service providers, raising the Personal Needs Allowance for group home residents and increasing Supported Employment Rates to expand competitive, integrated work opportunities statewide.”
If a company must hire workers in order to stay in business, it should pay those people the minimum wage. That seems like basic fairness.
State Rep. Theresa Mah, D-Chicago, has said some 14(c) workers earn as little as 50 cents an hour or $100 per month. Such people clearly are getting assistance from somewhere else in the social safety net – that “salary” is on the lines of an allowance a child “earns” for making their bed every morning.
But those debates are now over, the bill is soon to become law. A 24-week wait amidst a 10-year struggle will be a fleeting memory.
• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. Follow him on X @sth749. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.
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