S-1100.1
SENATE BILL 5648
State of Washington
69th Legislature
2025 Regular Session
By Senator Braun
AN ACT Relating to encouraging achieving a better life experience accounts; amending RCW 43.330.464 ; adding a new section to chapter 43.330 RCW; and creating a new section.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that:
(1) In 2016, legislation was enacted to implement the Washington achieving a better life experience (ABLE) program to allow persons with qualifying disabilities to create tax-advantaged savings accounts known as ABLE accounts. Eligible individuals currently include persons with significant physical, behavioral, developmental, or military disabilities with an age of onset of disability before turning 26 years of age. Eligible individuals can contribute their own earnings to their ABLE accounts as well as accept contributions from family members and employers. ABLE accounts can be used to fund a wide range of expenses related to the eligible individual's disability without risking eligibility for means-tested public benefits such as medicaid and supplemental security income.
(2) Increasing participation in the ABLE program helps the individual by increasing self-reliance, encouraging employment, and improving quality of life, and helps the program by keeping account fees low. Recognizing the benefits of the ABLE program, congress recently enacted the ABLE age adjustment act that would raise the threshold for the onset of a qualifying disability to age 46 beginning January 2026. The purpose of this act is to encourage participation in the ABLE program by providing funding for program promotion, reducing individual account fees, and to contribute funding to ABLE accounts.