Number: RL33249
Title: Rehabilitation Act of 1973: 109th Congress Legislation, FY2006 Budget Request, and FY2006 Appropriations
Authors: Scott Szymendera, Domestic Social Policy Division 
Abstract: The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is the nation's major program to provide comprehensive vocational rehabilitation (VR) services to help people with physical and mental disabilities achieve employment goals and full integration into society. Authorization of appropriations for the Rehabilitation Act expired in FY2003. H.R. 27, the Job Training Improvement Act of 2005, passed by the House on March 2, 2005, and S. 1021, the Workforce Investment Act Amendments of 2005, reported by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee on September 7, 2005, would reauthorize the act through FY2011. The Rehabilitation Act amendments are part of bills that would reauthorize programs authorized by the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). In other action, P.L. 109-82 (H.R. 3864) signed September 30, 2005, amends the act to provide VR services to assist persons with disabilities affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The President requested $3 billion for the act for FY2006, a 0.1% increase over FY2005. The budget request would eliminate four programs authorized under the act (programs for migrant and seasonal farmworkers, recreational activities, supported employment state grants, and projects with industry (PWI)). The budget also proposed to allow states to move Title I of the Rehabilitation Act into a Consolidated Workforce Investment state grant for employment services. Ultimately, Congress appropriated more than $3.1 billion for the act for FY2006. This appropriation included funding for the four programs that the President had sought to eliminate. All appropriations for programs under the act, with the exception of state VR grants, were later reduced by 1% as part of the acrossthe- board funding rescission mandated by the Defense Appropriations Act (P.L. 109- 148).
Pages: 8
Date: January 26, 2006