HARRISBURG, IL (WSIL) � Several lawmakers are speaking out against a bill they say would put several workers with development and intellectual disabilities out of a job.
“This bill is denying all these people out there across the state their right to choose because they have disabilities, they have no rights because of what this bill is doing to them,� said Illinois Republican state representative Charles Meier.
It's known as the Dignity in Pay Act and it would require all workers to make at least a minimum wage. Right now, Illinois’s minimum wage is $14, but starting in 2025, it bumps to $15 an hour.
“It definitely has a big impact on people with disabilities,� said Rick Wilson, director of vocational services and Coleman Tri-County.
Wilson goes on to say says, an individual who is severely disabled might not be able to work, but half as fast as an individual without a disability.
“If you hire that individual to load pallets and a normal person would load 50, but your person would only be able to load 25, you can see how that would impact the wages that they would be paid in relationship to the amount of money they were earning for the employer,� explained Wilson.
Opponents of the bill are speaking out saying if passed, HB 793 would put at least 50 percent of those employees with special needs out of work.
Chapin Rose represents the 51st Senate district and he says -- this issue means far more than just minimum wage.
"This is about the dignity of getting that paycheck and being a citizen of your state, of your country, and being a contributing member of your state and country,� Rose said.
Wilson says the look they see of people who receive their paycheck is ecstatic.
“It really does have a good effect on their self-esteem and on their ability to see self-worth in themselves,� said Wilson.
Doug McDonald’s the CEO of Sparc, an organization that looks to enrich the lives of those with intellectual and developmental disabilities spoke out about the measure.
"We want people to have typical, ordinary lives,� he said.
McDonald says the Dignity in Pay Act is an admirable bill.
"We should always be looking for ways to ensure that people with disabilities are treated the same as any other person living in our community,� McDonald explained.
However, implementing it would be an undertaking he and many others believe hasn't been fully studied.
"It's critical that people who make use of the services addressed in HB 793, must have protections in place to ensure that any changes that occur, cause no harm,� he said.
But if employers are required to pay those wages to people with disabilities opponents fear it will result in people losing their jobs.
Tri-County Services employs people with disabilities at two of its resale shops in Saline County and he says � they appreciate getting a paycheck for a day’s work.
“A lot of our individuals, every day they get up, it's a new day for them and a new adventure and they don't get tired about doing the kind of job that we have them do,� said Wilson.
