Rep. Davids Leads Bipartisan Legislative Push on Multiple Fronts
WASHINGTON — Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan., has introduced several bipartisan bills in recent months addressing issues ranging from disability rights to aviation policy to professional boxing reform.
Expanding Savings for Workers with Disabilities
Davids, alongside Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., introduced the ABLE Employment Flexibility Act in December, designed to help workers with disabilities build financial security without risking essential federal benefits.
The legislation would allow employers to make tax-free contributions to ABLE accounts — special savings accounts for people with disabilities — offering greater flexibility in hiring and retaining employees with disabilities while helping these workers achieve greater financial independence.
"Workers with disabilities should have the same access to employer benefits as anyone else, including the ability to save for their future," Davids said. The bill addresses current restrictions that prevent workers with disabilities from taking advantage of traditional 401(k) matching contributions due to federal asset limits tied to programs like Supplemental Security Income.
Supersonic Aviation Modernization
Davids joined Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Troy Nehls, R-Texas, and Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., in May to introduce the Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act, which would lift the 52-year federal ban on civil supersonic flight over U.S. soil.
The legislation would permit operators to fly aircraft at supersonic speeds within the National Airspace System if no sonic boom reaches the ground. The 1973 regulation currently prohibits non-military-related supersonic flight over the United States, setting what supporters call an artificial speed limit in national airspace.
Boxing Industry Reform
Most recently, Davids and Rep. Brian Jack, R-Ga., introduced the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act on Wednesday, aiming to provide professional boxers with more career opportunities, better pay and greater safety protections.
The legislation would allow for the creation of alternative systems called Unified Boxing Organizations that would provide professional boxers more opportunities, better pay, and greater health and safety protections while operating parallel to existing sanctioning organizations.
The proposed legislation includes a national minimum compensation of $150 per round for professional boxers, as well as greater health insurance minimums and anti-doping programs.
"As a former MMA fighter, I know firsthand the physical and financial risks that come with stepping into the ring," Davids said. "This bipartisan bill is about giving professional boxers the protections, opportunities, and freedom of choice they deserve."
Tribal Law Enforcement Support
Davids has also co-sponsored the Bridging Agency Data Gaps & Ensuring Safety (BADGES) for Native Communities Act, bipartisan legislation to strengthen tribal law enforcement and increase public safety in Indian Country.
The bill addresses federal inefficiencies that hurt Bureau of Indian Affairs law enforcement recruitment and retention, increases the effectiveness of federal missing persons resources, and gives tribes and states resources to combat the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
"I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing the BADGES Act, which will help remove barriers that stand in the way of addressing violence against tribal communities," said Davids, who co-chairs the Congressional Native American Caucus.
The legislation would increase tribal access to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, allow the Bureau of Indian Affairs to conduct its own background checks for law enforcement officer applicants, and establish grant programs to support coordination efforts in missing persons and sexual assault cases.
Davids represents Kansas' 3rd Congressional District and has served in Congress since 2019. She is a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and co-chairs the Congressional Native American Caucus.
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