Wipa And Pabss Reauthorization Act Of 2009

Floor Speech

Wipa And Pabss Reauthorization Act Of 2009

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Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 3325, the bill now under consideration.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Tennessee?

There was no objection.

Mr. TANNER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Today I want to join with our colleagues on the Social Security Subcommittee and Mr. Johnson, our ranking member, in support of this reauthorization for 1 year. It is a 1-year extension of two programs that help Social Security and Social Security beneficiaries return to work.

The WIPA, the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance, program allows disability beneficiaries to get one-on-one assistance from community organizations to help them understand the rules and the effect they will have on their benefits if they return to work. The PABSS program, Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security, provides legal advocacy services to help beneficiaries get a job or keep their job. The disability advocates and the return-to-work experts have both testified before our subcommittee about the effectiveness of these programs and how they will help people return to the workplace.

The reason we are doing this today is because the authorization for these programs will expire in September. The bill extends for 1 year the programs with no changes while the committee considers a longer-term reauthorization. The bill does not increase government spending because it comes from the discretionary reserves of the Social Security Administration.

What this bill actually does extending these programs, Mr. Speaker, is it actually helps people who have been sick or disabled who want to go back to work and become no longer a recipient of these sorts of public assistance to do so. So I think it is not only a worthwhile enterprise in terms of what the Subcommittee on Social Security has done, but it also is something that will strengthen the vibrancy of our economy as people who have been disabled or sick can actually return to the workplace.

Today I join with my colleagues, Sam Johnson, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Social Security, and Jim McDermott, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support, in support of the ``WIPA and PABSS Reauthorization Act of 2009.'' This bill will extend, for one year, two programs that provide critical assistance for Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SST) disability beneficiaries who are seeking to return to work.

Both of these programs were originally established in the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999, which passed Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support. Under, the Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) program, the Social Security Administration (SSA) funds community-based organizations to provide personalized assistance to Social Security and SSI disability beneficiaries who want to work, to help these beneficiaries understand SSA's complex work incentive policies and the effect that working will have on their benefits. This program can help to reduce the fears many beneficiaries have about transitioning to employment.

Under the Protection and Advocacy for Beneficiaries of Social Security (PABSS) program, SSA awards grants to designated Protection and Advocacy Systems to provide legal advocacy services that beneficiaries need to secure, maintain, or regain employment. The PABSS program also provides beneficiaries with information and advice about obtaining vocational rehabilitation and employment services.

The Subcommittee on Social Security has received extensive testimony from disability advocates, experts, and other stakeholders about the importance of these programs to increasing employment among disability beneficiaries.

SSA is currently authorized to spend $23 million annually from its administrative budget to fund the WIPA program, and $7 million annually to fund the PABSS program. However, the authorization for both programs expires on September 30, 2009.

This bill will extend the WIPA and PABSS programs for one year, with no changes, while the Committee considers a longer-term reauthorization. This 1-year extension will ensure that these programs can continue to provide disability beneficiaries with the assistance they need to seek employment. The bill does not increase government spending.

I urge your support for extending these important programs.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

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