East Central Reporter

Charlie Meier, House Rep. of Illinois House of Representatives, Illinois General Assembly expressed his concerns regarding the potential impacts of a new bill on Oct 25th. He stated, "We are here to protect the jobs of our residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities."

"We want to protect their choice, their job. We are here today in opposition to legislation pending in the Illinois House of Representatives, House Bill 793, that would put at least 50% of the 14c workshop employees with developmental and intellectual disabilities and service providers out of work throughout the state," said Charlie Meier. He emphasized that these workers' employment status has been put at risk by this legislation and warned about possible negative outcomes for both employees and service providers.

Furthermore, Meier pointed out that "this legislation may also have unintended consequences for workers receiving Supplemental Security Income or their Social Security Disability insurance." He voiced concerns about complications arising from changes in supplemental income if employees take on minimum wage jobs.

He further explained, "A percentage of their supplemental income could be reduced if they take the minimum wage job and if a worker quits or loses that job, they will have to start over with the Social Security Administration and the federal government to get their benefits reinstated."

Meier warned about serious implications for families of disabled workers. He mentioned how they might incur extra costs as they seek care solutions during daytime hours when family members are at work due to these workers no longer attending workshops.

The financial strain doesn't end there: he also highlighted that "adult daycare costs about $1,885 a month in Illinois". Therefore families would have to deal with extra expenses as they find someone suitable to stay with their loved ones during the day.

According to Meier's statements on Oct 25th: "House Bill 793 would also put service providers out of work because they can't afford to pay a minimum wage to workers with developmental and intellectual disabilities." Meier also warned that the bill provides no concrete solutions to cover these additional costs for service providers.

Charlie Meier, who was elected to serve the 108th District in 2013, has made significant contributions in various fields. According to his legislative biography, Meier "spent six years on the Washington County Board" and "in addition to farming, Charlie also develops subdivisions with villas and single family residences".

Meier's concern for the wellbeing of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities isn't new. In recent months, he has been vocal about better care for residents of Community Integrated Living Arrangement (CILA) program homes. He shared a post on Facebook regarding the state’s CILA program where up to eight unrelated adults with these disabilities reside in taxpayer-funded group homes licensed by the State and operated by a private community development service agency.

The implications of House Bill 793 are profound as it will eliminate the possibility of employers paying less than minimum wage to individuals with developmental disabilities. As per the bill: "Requires the Department of Human Services, in partnership with other specified State agencies, to eliminate on July 1, 2027 the use of active or pending 14(c) certificates authorized under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938".