S. 4984, Subminimum Wage Expansion for Young Workers with Disabilities. Quorum's AI analysis reads it as a net cost — and names who bears it.

What it does

This bill amends the Rehabilitation Act to expand the use of subminimum wage employment for people with disabilities. It lowers the age threshold from 24 to 18, changes the legal standard from a prohibition ("no entity may pay subminimum wage unless...") to a permission ("any entity may pay subminimum wage if..."), adds individual choice as a justification, and weakens the requirement that employers make good-faith efforts to transition workers to competitive wages by allowing them to satisfy obligations through documented contact attempts with state vocational rehabilitation agencies—even if those agencies fail to respond.

The analysis names employers of workers with disabilities (sheltered workshops, day programs, entities using subminimum — and 1 more group — among the beneficiaries.

The cost

The shift from 'No entity may pay subminimum wage unless [conditions]' to 'Any entity may pay subminimum wage if [conditions]' inverts the legal burden: employers no longer bear the burden of proving they meet strict conditions; workers must affirmatively 'choose' subminimum work or employers must merely document contact attempts with state agencies.

The analysis put a high warning level on this bill. Transparency scores 65%, and the analysis found no provisions unrelated to the bill's subject.

Who is behind it

Filed by Tom Cotton.