# Plain Language Summary: Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act

This bill aims to phase out a decades-old system that allows employers to pay people with disabilities below minimum wage. Currently, under a special provision in federal labor law called "Section 14(c)," certain employers can get certificates that let them pay workers with disabilities significantly less than regular minimum wage—sometimes just a few dollars per hour. This bill would end that practice and help transition those workers into regular jobs paying at least minimum wage.

The bill creates two main grant programs to help make this transition happen. States can apply for grants to work with employers currently using these special certificates, helping them transform their business models to hire people with disabilities at regular wages and provide support services. Individual employers can also apply for grants directly. The money would go toward things like job training, finding new employment for current workers, and providing support services that help people with disabilities succeed in regular jobs. All workers would need to be paid at least minimum wage—or the prevailing wage for that job if it's higher—just like any other employee.

The bill also sets a timeline to phase out these special certificates entirely. No new certificates can be issued, and existing ones would eventually expire. States would need to develop detailed plans showing how they'll transition all workers currently earning subminimum wages into competitive jobs, with support for those with the most significant disabilities. The bill requires states to involve people with disabilities, families, employers, and government agencies in planning this transformation and to track outcomes like employment rates, wages, and job satisfaction.

This would fundamentally change how people with disabilities access employment, shifting from segregated, low-wage work settings to integrated jobs in regular workplaces at regular pay rates. For the roughly 30,000 workers currently employed under these special certificates, it could mean significantly higher earnings and greater independence, though the transition period would require substantial support services and employer cooperation.