A bipartisan measure that would phase out a program that allows employers to pay people with disabilities below the minimum wage – including less than $1 an hour – is gaining traction in the Senate.
A bill, sponsored by Republican Statesboro state Sen. Billy Hickman, was recently unanimously voted out of committee over the objections of one of the few centers left in Georgia that are still participating in the program.
Called the “Dignity and Pay Act,” the proposal would give providers two years to end their participation in a federal program that was originally created in the 1930s to encourage employers to hire veterans returning home from war with disabilities.
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