Title 29LaborRelease 119-73not60

§794c Interagency Disability Coordinating Council

Title 29 › Chapter 16— VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION AND OTHER REHABILITATION SERVICES › Subchapter V— RIGHTS AND ADVOCACY › § 794c

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

Creates an Interagency Disability Coordinating Council made up of top officials from several federal departments and agencies, including the Secretaries of Education, Health and Human Services, Labor, Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation; the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs; the Attorney General; the Director of the Office of Personnel Management; the chairs of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, and the National Council on Disability; and any other officials the President names. The Council must make and carry out plans and agreements so federal agencies work together better and avoid overlap, conflict, or wasted effort in enforcing this law. It must also coordinate agency actions to help people with disabilities be included in society, live independently, and work productively. As resources allow, and with advice from the National Council on Disability, the Council must do studies to find ways to remove barriers to those goals. By July 1 each year the Council must send a report to the President and Congress about its work to meet the employment needs of people with disabilities, include any recommended law or administrative changes, and include any comments from the National Council on Disability. This does not remove any lead-agency duties given by Executive order.

Full Legal Text

Title 29, §794c

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(a)There is hereby established an Interagency Disability Coordinating Council (hereafter in this section referred to as the “Council”) composed of the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary of Transportation, the Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs, the Attorney General, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, the Chairperson of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Chairperson of the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, the Chairperson of the National Council on Disability, and such other officials as may be designated by the President.
(b)The Council shall—
(1)have the responsibility for developing and implementing agreements, policies, and practices designed to maximize effort, promote efficiency, and eliminate conflict, competition, duplication, and inconsistencies among the operations, functions, and jurisdictions of the various departments, agencies, and branches of the Federal Government responsible for the implementation and enforcement of the provisions of this subchapter, and the regulations prescribed thereunder;
(2)be responsible for developing and implementing agreements, policies, and practices designed to coordinate operations, functions, and jurisdictions of the various departments and agencies of the Federal Government responsible for promoting the full integration into society, independence, and productivity of individuals with disabilities; and
(3)carry out such studies and other activities, subject to the availability of resources, with advice from the National Council on Disability, in order to identify methods for overcoming barriers to integration into society, independence, and productivity of individuals with disabilities.
(c)On or before July 1 of each year, the Interagency Disability Coordinating Council shall prepare and submit to the President and to the Congress a report of the activities of the Council designed to promote and meet the employment needs of individuals with disabilities, together with such recommendations for legislative and administrative changes as the Council concludes are desirable to further promote this section, along with any comments submitted by the National Council on Disability as to the effectiveness of such activities and recommendations in meeting the needs of individuals with disabilities. Nothing in this section shall impair any responsibilities assigned by any Executive order to any Federal department, agency, or instrumentality to act as a lead Federal agency with respect to any provisions of this subchapter.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2014—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 113–128 inserted “the Chairperson of the National Council on Disability,” before “and such other”. 1992—Pub. L. 102–569 amended section generally, changing Council name from Interagency Coordinating Council to Interagency Disability Coordinating Council, including as members Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Secretary of Transportation, and such other officials as designated by the President, requiring Council to be responsible for developing and implementing policies and practices to eliminate inconsistencies among Federal departments and agencies responsible for

Enforcement

of provisions of this subchapter and to carry out such studies and other activities, with advice from the National Council on Disability, to identify methods for overcoming barriers to integration into society, independence, and productivity of individuals with disabilities, and directing in annual report inclusion of any comments submitted by National Council on Disability as to effectiveness of activities and recommendations in meeting needs of individuals with disabilities. 1986—Pub. L. 99–506, § 602, inserted reference to Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs. Pub. L. 99–506, § 1001(f)(4), which directed the substitution of “Chairperson” for “Chairman” was executed by substituting “Chairperson of the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board” for “Chairman of the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board” to reflect the probable intent of Congress. 1984—Pub. L. 98–221 substituted “Chairman of the Office of Personnel Management” for “Chairman of the United States Civil Service Commission” and purported to substitute “Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Health and Human Services,” for “Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare” which amendment could not be executed in view of the previous amendment by Pub. L. 96–88. See 1979 Amendment note below. 1979—Pub. L. 96–88 substituted requirement that the Secretaries of Education and Health and Human Services be members of the Council for requirement that the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare be a member.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1979 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 96–88 effective May 4, 1980, with specified exceptions, see section 601 of Pub. L. 96–88, set out as an

Effective Date

note under section 3401 of Title 20, Education. Termination of Reporting RequirementsFor termination, effective May 15, 2000, of provisions in subsec. (c) of this section relating to requirement that the Council submit an annual report of activities to Congress, see section 3003 of Pub. L. 104–66, as amended, set out as a note under section 1113 of Title 31, Money and Finance, and page 175 of House Document No. 103–7.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

29 U.S.C. § 794c

Title 29Labor

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60