EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb0502*
HOUSE BILL 502
O3 5lr0434
CF SB 433
By: The Speaker (By Request – Administration) and Delegates Allen, Bhandari,
Buckel, Cardin, Fennell, Foley, Hornberger, Jackson, Kerr, Phillips, Ruff,
Simpson, Stein, Taveras, Toles, Turner, Vogel, Wilkins, Woods, Woorman,
and Wu
Introduced and read first time: January 22, 2025
Assigned to: Appropriations
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Office of Disability Employment Advancement and Policy and Maryland as a 2
Model Employer Initiative – Established 3
FOR the purpose of establishing the Office of Disability Employment Advancement and 4
Policy within the Department of Disabilities; establishing the Maryland as a Model 5
Employer Initiative within the Office of Disability Employment Advancement and 6
Policy to facilitate efforts that improve outcomes in the hiring, recruitment, 7
retention, and advancement of people with disabilities in the State government 8
workforce; and generally relating to the establishment of the Office of Disability 9
Employment Advancement and Policy and the Maryland as a Model Employer 10
Initiative. 11
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 12
Article – Human Services 13
Section 7–114(b) 14
Annotated Code of Maryland 15
(2019 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 16
BY adding to 17
Article – Human Services 18
Section 7–1201 through 7–1205 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 12. Office of 19
Disability Employment Advancement and Policy” 20
Annotated Code of Maryland 21
(2019 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 22
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 23
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 24
2 HOUSE BILL 502
Article – Human Services 1
7–114. 2
(b) The Department shall oversee and administer the following programs and 3
units: 4
(1) constituent services and ombudsmen programs; 5
(2) the Assistive Technology Guaranteed Loan Program under Subtitle 6 6
of this title; 7
(3) the Office of Personal Assistance Services, including the Attendant 8
Care Program under Subtitle 4 of this title; 9
(4) Telecommunications Access of Maryland under Subtitle 8 of this title; 10
[and] 11
(5) Telecommunications Devices and Distribution of Accessible 12
Information for Disabled Individuals under Subtitle 9 of this title; AND 13
(6) THE OFFICE OF DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT ADVANCEMENT AND 14
POLICY. 15
SUBTITLE 12. OFFICE OF DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT ADVANCEMENT AND POLICY. 16
7–1201. 17
(A) IN THIS SUBTITLE THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 18
INDICATED. 19
(B) “DEPARTMENT ” MEANS THE DEPARTMENT OF DISABILITIES. 20
(C) “INITIATIVE” MEANS THE MARYLAND AS A MODEL EMPLOYER 21
INITIATIVE. 22
(D) “OFFICE” MEANS THE OFFICE OF DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT 23
ADVANCEMENT AND POLICY. 24
(E) “SECRETARY” MEANS THE SECRETARY OF DISABILITIES. 25
7–1202. 26
(A) THERE IS AN OFFICE OF DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT ADVANCEMENT 27
AND POLICY WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT . 28 HOUSE BILL 502 3
(B) THE PURPOSE OF THE OFFICE INCLUDES : 1
(1) THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ST RATEGIES IN 2
THE STATE DISABILITIES PLAN, ESTABLISHED UNDER § 7–132 OF THIS TITLE, 3
RELATING TO THE EMPL OYMENT, TRAINING, AND CAREER –READINESS OF 4
INDIVIDUALS WITH DIS ABILITIES; 5
(2) PERFORMING DUTIES UN DER § 7–114 OF THIS TITLE NECESS ARY 6
TO SUPPORT STATEWIDE POLICIES AND STANDARDS RELA TING TO THE 7
EMPLOYMENT , TRAINING, AND CAREER –READINESS OF INDIVID UALS WITH 8
DISABILITIES; 9
(3) COLLECTING INFORMATI ON AND DATA FROM UNI TS OF STATE 10
GOVERNMENT RELATING TO THE EMPLOYMENT , TRAINING, AND 11
CAREER–READINESS OF INDIVID UALS WITH DISABILITIES, IN ACCORDANCE WITH § 12
7–115 OF THIS TITLE; AND 13
(4) IMPLEMENTING THE MARYLAND AS A MODEL EMPLOYER 14
INITIATIVE, ESTABLISHED UNDER § 7–1205 OF THIS SUBTITLE. 15
7–1203. 16
THE SECRETARY MAY ADOPT R EGULATIONS AS NECESS ARY TO CARRY OUT 17
THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SUBT ITLE. 18
7–1204. 19
THIS SUBTITLE MAY NOT BE CONSTRUED TO ESTA BLISH AN ENTITLEMENT 20
PROGRAM. 21
7–1205. 22
(A) BEGINNING JULY 1, 2026, THE OFFICE SHALL BE RESPO NSIBLE FOR 23
IMPLEMENTATION AND O VERSIGHT OF THE MARYLAND AS A MODEL EMPLOYER 24
INITIATIVE. 25
(B) THE PURPOSE OF THE INITIATIVE SHALL INCL UDE: 26
(1) PROMOTING THE RECRUI TMENT, HIRING, RETENTION, AND 27
CAREER AD VANCEMENT OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AC ROSS STATE 28
GOVERNMENT ; 29
4 HOUSE BILL 502
(2) CONDUCTING AND COORD INATING OUTREACH TO JOB SEEKERS 1
WITH DISABILITIES AN D STATE GOVERNMENT TO E NCOURAGE PARTICIPATI ON IN 2
THE INITIATIVE; 3
(3) DEVELOPING AND DELIV ERING TRAININGS TO STATE AGENCIES 4
AND UNITS ADDRESSING BEST PRACTICES , RESOURCES, AND RELEVANT FEDERAL 5
AND STATE LAWS PERTAINING TO THE EMPLOYMENT OF PEOPLE WITH 6
DISABILITIES; 7
(4) ASSISTING STATE GOVERNMENT AGEN CIES AND UNITS TO 8
ATTRACT QUALIFIED JO B SEEKERS WITH DISAB ILITIES TO AVAILABLE PO SITIONS; 9
(5) PROMOTING ACCESS TO AND ACQUISITION OF A SSISTIVE 10
TECHNOLOGY FOR NEW STATE EMPLOYEES WITH DISABILITIES; 11
(6) EVALUATING STATE EMPLOYMENT PRAC TICES AND POLICIES A ND 12
MAKING RECOMMENDATIO NS REGARDING WAYS TO REDUCE BARRI ERS FOR JOB 13
SEEKERS AND EMPLOYEE S WITH DISABILITIES; 14
(7) COLLECTING FROM EACH UNIT OF STATE GOVERNMENT , AS PART 15
OF THE PLANS REQUIRE D UNDER § 7–116 OF THIS TITLE, PERFORMANCE GOALS 16
RELATED TO HIRING AN D RETENTION EFFORTS FOR EMPLOYEES WITH D ISABILITIES 17
AND ANY DATA DEEMED NECESSARY BY THE SECRETARY TO DEMONSTR ATE 18
PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES ; AND 19
(8) REPORTING ON THE INITIATIVE’S OUTCOMES IN COMPLI ANCE 20
WITH SUBSECTION (C) OF THIS SECTION. 21
(C) ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 1, 2026, AND EACH DECEMBER 1 22
THEREAFTER , THE OFFICE SHALL REPORT T O THE GOVERNOR AND THE GENERAL 23
ASSEMBLY, IN ACCORDANCE WITH § 2–1257 OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE, 24
ON: 25
(1) PROGRESS AND OUTCOME S OF THE INITIATIVE; AND 26
(2) RECOMMENDATIONS DEVE LOPED BY THE INITIATIVE FOR 27
CONTINUED IMPROVEMEN T OF STATE GOVERNMENT EMPL OYMENT PRACTICES FOR 28
PEOPLE WITH DISABILI TIES. 29
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 30
1, 2025. 31