1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals Act . 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) Direct support professionals play a critical role in the care provided to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities by providing a wide range of supportive services on a day-to-day basis to promote independence, including— (A) enhancing independence and community inclusion of these individuals, including through travel and recreation, visiting friends and family, shopping, or socializing; (B) coaching and supporting individuals in communicating needs, achieving self-expression, pursuing personal goals, living independently, and participating actively in employment or voluntary roles in the community; (C) providing assistance with activities of independent daily living (such as feeding, bathing, toileting, and ambulation) and with tasks such as meal preparation, shopping, light housekeeping, laundry, and home management; or (D) supporting individuals at home, work, school, or any other community setting. (2) Through the support of direct support professionals, individuals are able to lead self-directed lives within their own communities. (3) Providers of home- and community-based services are experiencing difficulty hiring and retaining direct support professionals, with a national turnover rate of 43 percent, as identified in a 2021 study by the National Core Indicators, and full-time vacancy rates increasing by 94 percent between 2019 and 2021. (4) High turnover rates can lead to instability for individuals receiving services, and this may result in individuals not receiving enough personalized care to help them reach their goals for independent living. (5) A discrete occupational category for direct support professionals will help States and the Federal Government— (A) better interpret the shortage in the labor market of direct support professionals