On the recordMay 14, 2015
I thank the gentleman, the majority whip, for yielding to me. I rise in support of this bipartisan amendment. This amendment basically exempts AbilityOne products from certain DOD procurement programs in this legislation. These procurement programs have severely affected Louisiana's disabled workers in the recent past, and in Louisiana alone these programs have forced disabled workers to be laid off to the tune of approximately $18 million in lost revenue, so while I believe it is important to support these critical overseas partners that we have as they rebuild their economies, we also need to focus on jobs here at home. That is why I have cosponsored this. It is a commonsense amendment. It is revenue neutral. I strongly believe that this amendment will allow AbilityOne disabled workers nationwide to hold on to jobs.
