Congress moves to end subminimum wages for workers with disabilities
H.R. 4771 — Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act · Filed by Bobby Scott (D-VA) · 9 cosponsors · Introduced Jul 25, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill phases out 'special certificates' under federal law that allow employers to pay workers with disabilities below minimum wage. It creates grant programs to help employers transition to paying all workers—including those with disabilities—at least minimum wage or the customary rate for similar work, while providing support services to help workers succeed in competitive integrated employment. The bill mandates a 4-year wage phase-in (starting at 60% of minimum wage, reaching 100% by year 4) and a complete sunset of special certificates after that period.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is eliminating subminimum wage certificates for workers with disabilities and mandating transition to competitive integrated employment at fair wages. This is fundamentally a worker-protection and civil-rights measure, not a market-driven or corporate-benefit bill.
What the text implies
- The 4-year phase-in (60%→70%→80%→90%→100% of minimum wage) means workers with disabilities will continue earning below minimum wage for years 1–4, potentially delaying full wage equity despite the bill's stated intent.
- Grant funding ($2M–$10M per state, $100K–$500K per employer) may be insufficient to cover full transformation costs, potentially shifting burden to states or employers and affecting service quality during transition.
- The bill requires states to cease issuing special certificates but does not explicitly mandate what happens to workers who cannot transition to competitive integrated employment—potential gap in safety net.
- Reporting requirements focus on compliance and wage data but do not mandate public disclosure of individual employer practices, limiting transparency for workers and advocates monitoring implementation.
- The bill ties additional Rehabilitation Act funding (Section 611) to successful completion of transformation grants, creating financial incentive for states to declare success even if outcomes are incomplete.
Who it affects
Workers with disabilities gain substantial wage protections and a legal pathway to competitive employment at fair wages. The phase-in period and grant funding provide transition support for both workers and employers. However, the 4-year timeline and phase-in approach mean some workers will continue earning subminimum wages during the transition, creating a mixed but ultimately positive outcome for this vulnerable population.
Who stands to gain
- nonprofit disability employment organizations
- workforce development agencies
- state vocational rehabilitation agencies
- employers transitioning to competitive integrated employment models
Named in the bill
Department of Labor, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Education, Fair Labor Standards Act Section 14, Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Olmstead v. L.C. (Supreme Court decision), Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) final rule, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, ABLE accounts, Ticket to Work and Self Sufficiency Program, State developmental disability agencies, State vocational rehabilitation agencies — and 1 more
Where it stands
9 cosponsors: 7 Democrats, 2 Republicans.
- Jul 25, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jul 25, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Education and Workforce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
8 lobbying clients named this bill on 12 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $768,561 in lobbying spend. A filing names 14 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 88% of bills with at least one filing.
Bobby Scott, the sponsor, reported $326,700 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- University of Rochester — $328,561 on 2 filings
- Society for Human Resource Management — $190,000 on 1 filing
- National Down Syndrome Society — $100,000 on 2 filings
- Coalition for the Preservation of Employment Choice F/k/a 14c Coalition — $60,000 on 2 filings
- Arc of the United States — $50,000 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the full bill text on Jun 10, 2026; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 20, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
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