State Advocacy
Maryland
Melwood was active in advocating in Maryland and Virginia earlier this year. Melwood stood in solidarity with Maryland’s disability services community to oppose proposed state budget cuts totaling hundreds of millions of dollars to the Maryland Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA). These cuts threatened critical services and supports for Marylanders with disabilities. Thanks to the powerful advocacy of individuals with disabilities, their families, service providers, and passionate members of Melwood Voices—who mobilized, wrote letters, and engaged directly with state senators and delegates—the majority of the DDA’s funding was successfully restored. This collective action safeguarded access to essential services and reaffirmed Maryland’s commitment to ensuring that people with disabilities can live, work, and thrive in inclusive communities.
In October, Melwood hosted Delegates Edith Patterson and Debra Davis and Churon Lanier, Legislative Director for Chair C.T Wilson at the Melwood Recreation Center in Nanjemoy. Melwood staff shared Camp Accomplish’s summer success stories and our vision for facility upgrades to continue providing safe, inclusive camp experiences for Charles County.
Virginia
During the 2025 Virginia legislative session, Melwood was proud to champion forward-thinking legislation aimed at expanding employment opportunities for people with disabilities. We strongly supported a bill sponsored by Delegate Laura Jane Cohen that would have opened more doors in state and local procurement for employment service organizations like Melwood—creating pathways to meaningful work and economic inclusion. The legislation gained strong traction and passed both chambers, a testament to the growing bipartisan recognition of the value of inclusive employment. While it ultimately did not become law this session, Melwood’s advocacy helped lay the groundwork for future success. We’re energized and committed to bringing this transformative policy across the finish line in 2026.
Federal
At the federal level, Melwood continued our support of legislation that would enhance employment opportunities and the lives of people with disabilities, including:
- ENABLE Act – Signed into law earlier this year
- Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act
- SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act
- ABLE Employment Flexibility Act
Melwood has been hard at work ensuring that we have congressional partners for our policy priorities. Melwood presented AbilityOne Congressional Champions plaques to Senator Chris Van Hollen and Congressman Glenn Ivey.
Melwood joined dozens of AbilityOne federal contractors on the Hill in September during the SourceAmerica Grassroots Advocacy Conference. Melwood’s advocate Brian Burge met with staff from the offices of Senators Van Hollen and Alsobrooks, Representatives Hoyer, Ivey, Elfreth, and Subramanyam. Brian shared his employment journey with Melwood, which started in 2007 as a custodial worker at the Secret Service building. After building up his work history he left for another job but returned because of our supportive environment and better opportunities. Now he drives a truck collecting recycling at Department of Defense sites throughout the DMV area.
As Brian told congressional staff, “This is the best paying job I’ve ever had, is it hard work, yes, but I get to go into places like the Navy Yard and Quantico.”
Government Shutdown
Government shutdowns impact everyone in the D.C. metro area and Melwood is no different. When the federal government shut down, Melwood’s staff working on federal contracts were directly impacted. Melwood received national coverage in the media’s reporting on the impacts of the government shutdown.
We thank our Melwood Voices family for their support of legislation – The Fair Pay for Federal Contractors Act of 2025 – that would ensure federal contract workers are fairly compensated for the wages and benefits lost due to a government shutdown. Over 250 letters were sent to House and Senate members in Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. requesting them to support the legislation.
Celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month
To celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), Melwood hosted our Policy and Regulatory Innovation Symposium by Melwood (PRISM) webinar series. The webinar series featured discussions around the current state of disability employment, the intersection of disability rights and the labor movement, emerging trends in technology that enable increased participation by people with disabilities in the workplace and inclusive workforce development programs. More information on the discussion with disability advocate Anastasia Somoza can be found here.
