Bright and early on the morning of June 23, the #IWantToWork campaign had the privilege of hosting legislators for breakfast as we celebrated House Bill 400 – The Workforce Experience Act for High School students with Disabilities, championed by Rep. Mauree Gingrich, R-Lebanon, and Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Luzerne. We enjoyed hearing Rep. Mauree Gingrich speak about this incredible accomplishment. Gov. Wolf signed the legislation into Act 26 of 2016 on May 17.
After the breakfast, we visited 21 additional legislators to tell them about our newest endeavor, bringing permanent Employment First legislation to Pennsylvania. House Bill 2130 and Senate Bill 1199 will ensure that Pennsylvanian’s with disabilities have the opportunity to achieve economic independence through jobs that pay regular wages in typical community settings. Our visits resulted in two new co-sponsorships of House Bill 2130 and three new co-sponsorships of Senate Bill 1199.
Thank you to everyone who came to the breakfast and to those who made time to meet with the #IWantToWork campaign. A special thank you to Khalif Ali from the Pittsburgh Foundation who served as master of ceremonies. Without all of our supporters this legislation would not have been possible and the #IWantToWork movement would not have built such credibility and momentum.
To see all of the photos from this event check out the Facebook album: bit.ly/29pnqsV
By Alexa Brill
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