Norton to Speak Today at White House Event Hosted by Vice President Biden to Celebrate Tax Benefits for Disabled Americans under the ABLE Act

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today will speak at a ceremony hosted by Vice President Joe Biden at the White House at 1:00 p.m. in praise of the enactment of the long-sought Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act. Norton was among the cosponsors of the ABLE Act, which was signed into law by President Obama last December. The bipartisan legislation created tax-free savings accounts for individuals with disabilities.

"The greatest fear of parents with disabled children is that they will leave them dependent rather than independent like their other children," Norton said. "My daughter, Katherine Felicia Norton, was the 2014 Global Down Syndrome Foundation Ambassador of the year. Unlike many disabled people, Katherine will never be fully independent. However, she was proud to represent those who will now be able to thanks to the tax-advantaged savings account made possible by the ABLE act."

The law amends Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to create tax-free savings accounts for qualified expenses to support individuals with disabilities. Benefits provided through private insurance, Medicaid, the beneficiary's employment, and other sources would be supplemented, but not supplanted, by the legislation.