HIGHLAND, IL – State Representative Charlie Meier (R-Okawville) has issued a statement on Governor J.B. Pritzker signing HB 793, a bill that eliminates the subminimum wage for workers with disabilities:
“This bill is not perfect, but it’s better than some other bills that were proposed. There has been a push on a national level to shut down the minimum wage program for people with disabilities. We fought for as much as we could. We got Southern Illinois workshops on the committee that will help in the planning stages. However, I am worried that in rural Illinois there are not enough jobs for these individuals that can be justified to pay $15 an hour. I am in the process of filing a bill that will help create jobs for the workshop clients while benefitting our senior citizens. I, with the help of my colleagues, will be closely monitoring this to ensure that all these individuals will have a job if they want one, since it was promised to them from House Democrats and Governor Pritzker. We will be holding them accountable at every turn to ensure that their promises are not empty. This bill is a start. We can do a lot better.”
Meier, a longtime defender of disabled Illinoisans, voted in favor of the bill, which passed the House in 2023. He also urged his colleagues to continue efforts to improve the EEOPD (Employment and Economic Opportunity for Persons with Disabilities) Task Force and the phaseout of 14c certificates in the following years.