Disabilities law example of bipartisan success

Doing the right thing has trumped partisanship, as Gov. Jay Nixon has signed legislation that will go a long way in helping Missourians with disabilities. Senate Bill 174 will allow family members of people with special needs to open tax-exempt savings accounts for their loved ones.

Todd Mayfield and Elijah, his adult son, have been engaged in the effort for years. Finally, there is a conclusion on the matter and a reason to celebrate. Ambassadors for the National Down Syndrome Society, the Mayfields are affected by Elijah's special needs. They understand the need for the provisions this legislation affords.

Republican state Sen. Eric Schmitt (Glendale), the bill's sponsor, said at the bill-signing held at the Southeast Missouri State University Autism Center in Cape Girardeau, "For a lot of families, myself included as the father of a son with a disability ... I know what it means to wake up in the middle of the night and wonder what's going to happen when you're not there."

The Missouri Achieving a Better Life Experience (Missouri ABLE) program helps ease the load family members often carry as they consider what will become of family once they are no longer there to care for them. These are the concerns that unite people, as they are not isolated to any particular background or political party.

In June, upon signing a bill to upgrade veterans homes, Nixon hailed the "bipartisan fashion" in which they agreed to make improvements to benefit our vets -- because it was the right thing to do. In this move to allow tax-exempt accounts to help residents with disabilities, the governor said, "Helping children with disabilities is not a partisan issue; it's a human issue." No argument here.

One of the most promising aspects of this bill is it allows any individual who so chooses to donate up to $8,000, and couples to donate twice that amount, into a person's tax-exempt ABLE account to help take care of expenses. It is, therefore, a convenient and compassionate way to assist others -- assistance that may very well outlive the family doing their best to help now.

A quote attributed to Ghandi may just sum up this effort best: "The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members." We are proud that Missouri has chosen to do its part to enable families to take care of their most vulnerable loved ones.