WASHINGTON,July 21, 2014/PRNewswire/ --Sara Wolff, a board member and self-advocate from the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS), will testify before the Subcommittee on Taxation and IRS Oversight of the US Senate Committee on Finance on the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act (S. 313/H.R. 647). The hearing, "Saving for an Uncertain Future: How the ABLE Act can Help People with Disabilities and their Families", will take place onWednesday, July 23, 2014, at10 a.m., in 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Wolff is a 31-year-old young woman with Down syndrome fromMoscow, Pennsylvania, and has been a board member of NDSS since 2007. Earlier this year, Wolff authored achange.org petitioncalling on members of Congress to pass the ABLE Act in the 113^thCongress. Wolff's petition has earned the support of over 250,000 people around the country.

In addition to Wolff, the Congressional panel will also includeCongresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Member of Congress (R-Washington), U.S. House of Representatives,Spokane, Washingtonand mother to Cole, who happens to have Down syndrome; Robert D'Amelio, Parent and Advocate, Autism Speaks,Charlotte, North Carolina; andChase Alston Phillips, Financial Advisor,Alexandria, Virginia.

"Just because I have Down syndrome, that shouldn't hold me back from achieving my full potential in life,"Sara Wolffsaid. "I can work a full-time job, be a productive member of society, and pay taxes but because of these outdated laws placed on individuals with disabilities, we hold people like me back in life. It's time that Congress act and pass the ABLE Act."

The ABLE Act would amend Section 529 of the IRS Code of 1986 to create tax-free savings accounts for individuals with disabilities. The bill aims to ease financial strains faced by individuals with disabilities by making tax-free savings accounts available to cover qualified expenses such as education, housing and transportation.

"As the mom of a son with Down syndrome, I see firsthand how federal policies limit -- not expand -- opportunities for those with disabilities. And the ABLE Act will change that. It will make sure that Cole -- and the millions like him who have special needs -- will be able to save for their futures and reach their full potential. I am proud to stand beside my colleagues in Congress and those in the disability community as we advance this crucial legislation," said CongresswomanCathy McMorris Rodgers(R-Washington), an ABLE Act Champion.

The ABLE Act is championed by SenatorsBob Casey(D-Pennsylvania) andRichard Burr(R-North Carolina) andMcMorris Rodgers'colleagues, RepresentativesAnder Crenshaw(R-Florida),Pete Sessions(R-Texas), andChris Van Hollen(D-Maryland).

"There is no other bill in the U.S. Congress that has as much bipartisan, bicameral support as the ABLE Act. We have 74 U.S. Senators, including LeadersHarry Reid(D-Nevada) andMitch McConnell(R-Kentucky), and 365 U.S. Representatives that are cosponsoring this bill," NDSS Vice President of Advocacy and Affiliate RelationsSara Hart Weirsaid. "Passing this landmark legislation will go a long way to help people with Down syndrome and other disabilities realize and achieve their own hopes, dreams and aspirations."