NEWS

By now you’ve heard many elected officials talk about the value of work. Congress and the Iowa Legislature have now passed work requirements for some people getting their health insurance from Medicaid.  Iowans with disabilities have been getting louder each year about the need to allow them to “work without worry.”  It is clear - Iowans with disabilities who can work, want to work, without risking the very services and supports that make it possible for them to work.

That is why it is unfortunate that the Trump Administration has halted a plan that would end the ability of businesses to pay workers with disabilities less than minimum wage (which is currently at $7.25/hour).  The plan would have phased out “14(c) certificates” that allowed the payment of subminimum wage. Advocates say this practice allows businesses to exploit workers with disabilities and make it more difficult to develop real employment opportunities in the community.  Some of the 40,000+ workers that are paid less than minimum wage nationally earn as little as $1/hour. 

So far 16 states have passed laws to phase out subminimum wage and early research suggests positive outcomes from those changes. A similar bill was introduced in the Iowa Legislature this year by Rep. Josh Turek (D-Council Bluffs), but it failed to make it out of subcommittee after opposition from a nonprofit organization. 

What Can You Do?

• Ask those who represent you in Congress to sponsor a bill phasing out 14(c) certificates that allow businesses to pay people with disabilities less than minimum wage.  Equal work deserves equal pay.  Setting a lower wage threshold demeans and devalues the work people with disabilities do.
  
  
• Ask your State Senator and State Representative to sponsor a bill to support competitive integrated employment and end the practice of paying workers with disabilities less than minimum wage.  You can ask them to reintroduce House File 538 in the 2026 legislative session.

• Consider taking part in the Iowa DD Council’s “Do My Job” campaign, where a legislator visits you at work to learn more about what you do and why its important to you. It’s a great time for legislators to hear from your employer and you about the value of competitive integrated employment. If October doesn’t work, you can do it any month! Learn more here.