Here are the new earning thresholds that Social Security has made available for 2008. The SGA for the blind has been raised from $1,500 to $1,570 and the SGA for non-blind has also been raised from $900 to $940 for next year.
Disability organizations and advocates are encouraged to support H.R. 3985, The Over-the-Road Bus Transportation Accessibility Act of 2007. This bill would address the problem of private intercity bus companies without stations, known as curbside carriers, that ignore the ADA. These companies, which use high-floor "over-the-road" buses and offer budget fares along the Eastern seaboard and across the country, do not provide accessible buses and have frequently discriminated against people with disabilities in other violations of the ADA by, for example, denying transportation to blind people with guide dogs or requiring them to sit in the last row of the bus.
HR 3985 would require the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the office at DOT that licenses and regulates privately operated bus carriers, to fully consider ADA compliance when it grants and revokes operating authority to passenger motor carriers. FMCSA has repeatedly stated that it won't, or can't, consider ADA compliance in its licensing decisions, despite a US Court of Appeals decision from the DC Circuit last year asking DOT to do so. (Peter Pan Bus Lines, Inc., et al v. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, No. 05-1436, U.S. Court of Appeals, DC Circuit, December 19, 2006)
HR 3985 does not amend the ADA, but rather, amends the law that gives FMCSA its authority, adding the DOT ADA regulation (Part 37) to the list of items FMCSA must consider in granting and revoking operating authority. It also requires FMCSA implementation in 30 days and a coordinated enforcement agreement between FMCSA and the Department of Justice in six months.
This bill is available online and was passed unanimously on October 31 by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
There have been several questions concerning the introduction of H.R.3834, The Blind Persons Earnings Fairness Act of 2007 that is sponsored by Congressman John Lewis (D-GA). . Here is a brief summary of what it seeks to accomplish.
1. The legislation will increase the amount of monthly income that a blind person can earn while still receiving SSDI benefits.
2. The earnings limit will gradually rise from its current level of $1,500 per month to $2,850 per month in 2011.
3. In 2012, the earnings limit for blind people of working age who receive SSDI benefits will be tied to the amount applicable to senior citizens in the year they attain full retirement age.
ACB has a long history of supporting the raising of social security earnings limits for all persons with disabilities who receive benefits. We also recognize that when returning to the workforce, an individual who is blind can experience intense financial burdens due to such things as increased transportation costs and the purchase of critical but costly assistive technology that is necessary for successful employment. Current earnings limits, though they rise each year by about $50 per month, are often insufficient to cover such expenses, thereby creating a disincentive to return to work. Removal of this barrier to work would have numerous benefits for people who are blind, employers, and our nation. The question is whether members of the House of Representatives will be willing to move this legislation forward. Their past history of dealing with similar proposals makes it difficult to answer this question at the present time. However, I'm sure there will be more to come regarding this issue over the next few months.