Tom Harkin: “I rise in support of S. 1579, the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, of which I am proud to be an original…”

“I rise in support of S. 1579, the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998, of which I am proud to be an original co-sponsor. I would like to commend Senators Jeffords, DeWine, Kennedy, and Wellstone, for making reauthorization of the Rehabilitation Act a priority, and for including this legislation as an amendment to the Workforce legislation. The State Vocational Rehabilitation Services Program provides $2.2 billion in formula grant assistance to States to help individuals with disabilities prepare for and engage in gainful employment. Since established by the Smith-Fess act 75 years ago, state vocational rehabilitation programs have served some nine million people. This program promotes economic independence for people with disabilities, and the numbers reflect that. In 1992, Congress made major changes to the Act, namely, increasing consumer participation, streamlining processes, and reducing unnecessary paperwork. In the bill before us today, we have built on the '92 amendments. The bill preserves and strengthens the themes of the '92 amendments, while fine-tuning and aligning the Act with other workforce reforms. The Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998 strengthen the role of the consumer throughout the vocational rehabilitation process, particularly in the development of the individual's employment plan.”