WHAT'S HAPPENING

FED PLEDGES $177M TO PHASE OUT SUBMINIMUM WAGE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN 14 STATES

An estimated 100,000 people with disabilities are paid less than $7.25 an hour. Federal officials are sending $177 million to states to shift people with disabilities from minimum-wage work to competitive integrated employment.

AN HONEST WAGE?: Employers can obtain special certificates from the DOL that allow them to pay workers with disabilities less than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.

The funding will go to 14 state providers of vocational rehabilitation over the next five years as part of the so-called demonstration project Subminimum Wage to Competitive Integrated Employment.

Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona cited the Rehabilitation Services Administration, which distributes the funds, "These grants will support ongoing nationwide innovative efforts to provide educational opportunities for youth and adults with disabilities so they can secure better-paying jobs, build economic security, and lead more fulfilling, independent lives,"