Bill Text: TX SB1226 | 2013-2014 | 83rd Legislature | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Relating to the establishment of an employment-first policy and task force to promote competitive employment opportunities that provide a living wage for individuals with disabilities.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2013-06-14 - Effective immediately [SB1226 Detail]
Download: Texas-2013-SB1226-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Relating to the establishment of an employment-first policy and task force to promote competitive employment opportunities that provide a living wage for individuals with disabilities.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2013-06-14 - Effective immediately [SB1226 Detail]
Download: Texas-2013-SB1226-Introduced.html
83R10314 JSL-D | ||
By: Zaffirini | S.B. No. 1226 |
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relating to the establishment of an employment-first policy and | ||
task force that promote opportunities for individuals with | ||
disabilities to earn a living wage with competitive employment. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Subchapter D, Chapter 117, Human Resources Code, | ||
is amended by adding Section 117.075 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 117.075. EMPLOYMENT-FIRST POLICY AND TASK FORCE. (a) | ||
The department shall adopt and implement an employment-first policy | ||
stating that earning a living wage with competitive employment in | ||
the general workforce is the first and preferred outcome of all | ||
publicly funded services provided to working-age individuals with | ||
disabilities. The policy must contain provisions that ensure: | ||
(1) that individuals, particularly secondary and | ||
postsecondary students, with disabilities understand the | ||
importance of, and are given the opportunity to explore options | ||
for, further training, including graduate and postgraduate | ||
training, as a pathway to employment; | ||
(2) the availability and accessibility of | ||
individualized training and support in an individual's preferred | ||
employment; | ||
(3) the availability and accessibility of resources | ||
necessary to enable an individual to understand the effect of | ||
earned income on the individual's public benefits; and | ||
(4) that competitive employment, while being the first | ||
and preferred outcome, is not the only method of securing and | ||
maintaining necessary health care and support for individuals with | ||
disabilities. | ||
(b) The department, in consultation with the executive | ||
commissioner, shall establish an interagency employment-first task | ||
force that will work to ensure that individuals with disabilities | ||
are able to obtain competitive employment and are held to the same | ||
employment standards, responsibilities, and expectations as any | ||
other working-age adult. The department shall appoint as many | ||
members to the task force as the department considers necessary to | ||
complete the task force's purposes. | ||
(c) The task force shall: | ||
(1) design an education and outreach process targeted | ||
at individuals with disabilities, families, agencies, and service | ||
provider staff that is aimed at raising expectations of the success | ||
of individuals with disabilities in integrated, individualized, | ||
and competitive employment; | ||
(2) develop recommendations for policy and procedure | ||
changes that are necessary to allow the employment-first policy | ||
described under Subsection (a) to be fully implemented; and | ||
(3) produce a report to be provided to the department | ||
and the executive commissioner that estimates the reduction in | ||
publicly funded services that can be accomplished by implementation | ||
of the employment-first policy described under Subsection (a). | ||
SECTION 2. Not later than September 1, 2014, the Department | ||
of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services shall adopt and implement | ||
the employment-first policy and appoint the employment-first task | ||
force described under Section 117.075, Human Resources Code, as | ||
added by this Act. | ||
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
Act takes effect September 1, 2013. |