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Floor Speech
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Mr. SCHMITT. Mr. President, I rise today in support of a very, very important piece of bipartisan legislation that, frankly, is personal to me. It is something that I believe is not only necessary but is common sense, and it is something that all of us can get behind and support wholeheartedly, and that is my bipartisan Ensuring Nationwide Access to a Better Life Experience Act, otherwise known as the ENABLE Act.
As I noted before, this fight is personal for me. In my maiden speech nearly a year ago, I detailed that my call to enter public service was primarily because of my son Stephen. My wife Jaime and I noticed a birthmark on Stephen's leg when he was just a few months old, and I joke about how we thought so little of this initially that my wife trusted me to take Stephen to the doctor. We took him there, and it was discovered that he had more of these and that he had something called tuberous sclerosis, which is a rare genetic condition where tumors form on various organs, including his brain. So Stephen has been affected by that pretty severely. He is nonverbal. He is on the autism spectrum and has epilepsy.
So we have had this journey with our son Stephen, including a 4-hour seizure, and through that process and that journey with my son, went through what I have referred to as a discernment process where--trying to decide what I wanted to do. I knew there was something more that I wanted to do, and for me, that calling was public service, so I decided to run for office.
That is nearly 20 years ago now, but that journey that began with Stephen 20 years ago certainly affects how I view the world and the things that I passionately get behind, and this happens to be one of those.
So here we are. That focus has led to legislation--not just my time in Missouri but now here in the Senate--and to be a voice, to be a voice for individuals with disabilities.
ABLE accounts were created by Congress and signed by the President nearly 10 years ago. So one of the focuses that I have is to give those with disabilities a voice and achieving a better life experience with those accounts. These accounts were created in 2014 to allow individuals with disabilities and their families to save and invest for their future through tax-free savings accounts without losing any eligibility for Federal programs like Medicaid and supplemental security.
This has long been a priority since I entered the political arena. While serving in the Missouri State Senate, I helped lead a successful effort to authorize Missouri's ABLE account program. During my time as State treasurer, before I was attorney general, I was proud to launch and champion the MO ABLE Program, helping Missourians with disabilities save and invest for their future. I know firsthand how beneficial these programs have been, considering my son Stephen was account No. 1 in the Missouri ABLE Program.
There are over 162,000 of these ABLE accounts nationwide since the program's inception back in 2014. Thanks to these life-changing accounts, people with disabilities are empowered to secure employment and actively participate in society, to be their own person. These accounts empower individuals with disabilities.
Unfortunately, there are three ABLE provisions that are set to expire in 2025. The sunsetting of these important provisions would create unnecessary barriers for individuals with disabilities to save for their future needs while also likely ensuring further utilization of Federal safety net programs. Sunsetting these programs would keep individuals with disabilities out of the workforce unnecessarily.
Recently, I introduced the ENABLE Act, which would permanently enshrine these provisions into law, providing certainty to those individuals and their families. These provisions are not only nonpartisan, but they have also played an outsized role in the lives of those this program serves.
Again, this simply allows individuals with disabilities to save the money they earn at their jobs. All people deserve access to save and to be financially secure, and this legislation would protect this access for the future.
This bill is exactly why I entered public office in the first place-- to fight for those who needed a voice. It is a commonsense, bipartisan solution that provides an easy fix for those who depend on ABLE accounts.
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