; (6) the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission created the Leadership for the Employment of Americans with Disabilities (or LEAD ) Initiative to encourage Federal agencies to recruit, hire, and promote people with severe disabilities; and (7) the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs of the Department of Labor, in implementing the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 ( 29 U.S.C. 701 et seq.), established a nationwide 7 percent utilization goal for Federal contractors employing people with disabilities; Whereas some private employers see disability employment not only as a civil rights issue but also as a smart business strategy, and have recruited employees with disabilities; Whereas employing people with disabilities increases the diversity of the workforce; Whereas employers with diverse workforces have been found to have an advantage over competitors; Whereas Employment First policies, the laws Congress has enacted, actions by Executive agencies, and actions by some private companies have increased the employment of people with disabilities, which has, in part, resulted in 26 consecutive months of improvement in disability employment in the period between March 2016 and May 2018; and Whereas, despite progress, unemployment and underemployment of workers with disabilities remains high: Now, therefore, be it