Kansas State Treasurer Ron Estes honored by National Down Syndrome Society

ron-estes-able — Attendees applaud as Kansas State Treasurer Ron Estes accepts the ABLE Champion award on Thursday, October 20, 2016, at an event hosted by the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) in Kansas City. The award was presented by Jawanda Mast, NDSS Manager of Grassroots Advocacy. (L-R) Tavrick Lawless; Rachel Mast; Jawanda Mast, NDSS Manager of Grassroots Advocacy; Kansas State Treasurer Ron Estes; Sara Hart Weir, President of the National Down Syndrome Society.

OFFICE OF STATE TREASURER

TOPEKA–Kansas State Treasurer Ron Estes was honored on Thursday, October 20th, at an event held by the National Down Syndrome Society. Estes and other state leaders including Congressman Kevin Yoder (R-Kan) and Kansas State Representative Erin Davis were in attendance to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month and champion the Kansas Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act.

The ABLE Act is hailed as the most significant legislation for the disability community since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

In the 2015 legislative session the Kansas Legislature passed HB 2216 in support of the Kansas Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Savings Program, an initiative that will provide individuals living with disabilities a new way to save for their future. The bill was introduced by Kansas State Treasurer Ron Estes and Representative Erin Davis (R-Olathe). More than 100 disability rights groups including the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) and Autism Speaks supported the ABLE Act.

“The Kansas ABLE Savings Program will ease the financial burden parents face when trying to provide critical services needed to support their children living with disabilities by allowing tax-free savings for current and future disability-related expenses, which in return will help secure their child’s future without jeopardizing the child’s eligibility for important benefits,” said Kansas State Treasurer Ron Estes.

The Kansas ABLE Savings Program will launch before the end of 2016 and will be administered by the State Treasurer’s Office. The program allows disabled individuals and their families to save for future education, housing, transportation, health and wellness costs, and additional related expenses in a tax-free savings account comparable to a Roth IRA. Under the Kansas ABLE Savings Program, children and adults whose disability occurred before age 26 and who meet Social Security disability standards or have a disability certification will be eligible to have a Kansas ABLE account. Family and friends will be able to contribute up to $14,000 per beneficiary each year.

For more information about the Kansas ABLE Savings Program individuals may contact Tom Treacy, Director of ABLE Savings Program, at (785) 296-3171 or via email at [email protected]. Individuals may also visit the Kansas State Treasurer’s Office Kansas ABLE Savings Program webpage at http://bit.ly/KansasABLE.