Good things are happening! For starters, lawmakers are cracking down on a labor loophole that lets employers pay people with disabilities less than $3.50 an hour. What’s more, technologies that tackle dangerous emissions score more funding, AI programs won’t be able to unilaterally deny you health care, and regulators come for a nefarious airborne killer.
Equal Pay For People With Disabilities
Kansas just signed legislation to eliminate a loophole that has long allowed employers nationwide to pay people with disabilities far below states’ minimum wage. It joins 14 other states in banning a practice that on average lets companies pay people with disabilities less than $3.50 an hour.
Since 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act has made it legal for employers to pay workers with disabilities less than federal and state minimum wage. In most states, companies can apply for 14(c) certificates, which allow employers to pay subminimum wages to workers with disabilities that “impair their productivity” for the work they perform. There are currently more than 800 active and pending employers who hold such certificates. The practices often occur in workshops registered as community rehab programs.
According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are around 61 million people with disabilities nationwide, 21 percent of whom are employed.
