Congress·In Progress·H.R. 8736

Restoration of Employment Choice for Adults with Disabilities Act

Changes to Subminimum Wage Rules for Workers with Disabilities

May 12·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

This bill is one vehicle in a longer effort. See the full story across every version.View effort →

Next up: A house committee

This bill is moving through the House after a committee voted to approve it on May 20, 2026. It must now be reported to the full House for further consideration. The bill is currently active.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Unlikely to pass

This bill faces strong opposition from lawmakers who want to end subminimum wages entirely. It lacks the bipartisan support needed to pass a divided Congress.

How we got here

This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.

Reintroduced
Reintroduced from H.R. 1296 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
H.R. 1296 (118th) →

Key Points

This bill changes the rules for how companies pay workers with disabilities. It focuses on subminimum wage, which is a pay rate lower than the standard federal minimum wage.
The plan allows adults 18 and older to choose to work for these lower wages if they want to. Right now, there are more rules and limits on using this pay rate for younger workers.
It also helps businesses if the state government fails to provide required career counseling. If the state does not provide help after the business asks multiple times, the business can still hire the person at the lower rate.
Supporters say this gives people with disabilities more choices in where they work. They believe it helps people find jobs in specialized centers that might not be able to pay the full minimum wage.
Critics often worry that subminimum wages keep people with disabilities in poverty. They usually prefer policies that help these workers get jobs that pay the same as everyone else.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

3 milestones4 actions

May 21, 2026House

Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 18 - 15.

The committee approved this bill and is sending it to the full chamber for a vote. This is a significant step — most bills never get this far.

May 21, 2026House

Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held

May 12, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

May 12, 2026

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

No votes, news coverage, or related bills recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Restoration of Employment Choice for Adults with Disabilities Act

Bill NumberHR 8736

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionOrdered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 18 - 15.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(5)

R: 5

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.