EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
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*hb0502*
HOUSE BILL 502
O3 (5lr0434)
ENROLLED BILL
— Appropriations/Finance —
Introduced 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
Read and Examined by Proofreaders:
_______________________________________________
Proofreader.
_______________________________________________
Proofreader.
Sealed with the Great Seal and presented to the Governor, for his approval this
_______ day of _______________ at ________________________ o’clock, ________M.
______________________________________________
Speaker.
CHAPTER ______
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
2 HOUSE BILL 502
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 1
Article – Human Services 2
Section 7–114(b) 3
Annotated Code of Maryland 4
(2019 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 5
BY adding to 6
Article – Human Services 7
Section 7–1201 through 7–1205 to be under the new subtitle “Subtitle 12. Office of 8
Disability Employment Advancement and Policy” 9
Annotated Code of Maryland 10
(2019 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 11
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 12
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 13
Article – Human Services 14
7–114. 15
(b) The Department shall oversee and administer the following programs and 16
units: 17
(1) constituent services and ombudsmen programs; 18
(2) the Assistive Technology Guaranteed Loan Program under Subtitle 6 19
of this title; 20
(3) the Office of Personal Assistance Services, including the Attendant 21
Care Program under Subtitle 4 of this title; 22
(4) Telecommunications Access of Maryland under Subtitle 8 of this title; 23
[and] 24
(5) Telecommunications Devices and Distribution of Accessible 25
Information for Disabled Individuals under Subtitle 9 of this title; AND 26
(6) THE OFFICE OF DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT ADVANCEMENT AND 27
POLICY. 28
SUBTITLE 12. OFFICE OF DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT ADVANCEMENT AND POLICY. 29
7–1201. 30
(A) IN THIS SUBTITLE THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 31
INDICATED. 32 HOUSE BILL 502 3
(B) “DEPARTMENT ” MEANS THE DEPARTMENT OF DISABILITIES. 1
(C) “INITIATIVE” MEANS THE MARYLAND AS A MODEL EMPLOYER 2
INITIATIVE. 3
(D) “OFFICE” MEANS THE OFFICE OF DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT 4
ADVANCEMENT AND POLICY. 5
(E) “SECRETARY” MEANS THE SECRETARY OF DISABILITIES. 6
7–1202. 7
(A) THERE IS AN OFFICE OF DISABILITY EMPLOYMENT ADVANCEMENT 8
AND POLICY WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT . 9
(B) THE PURPOSE OF THE OFFICE INCLUDES : 10
(1) THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ST RATEGIES IN 11
THE STATE DISABILITIES PLAN, ESTABLISHED UNDER § 7–132 OF THIS TITLE, 12
RELATING TO THE EMPL OYMENT, TRAINING, AND CAREER –READINESS OF 13
INDIVIDUALS WITH DIS ABILITIES; 14
(2) PERFORMING DUTIES UND ER § 7–114 OF THIS TITLE NECESS ARY 15
TO SUPPORT STATEWIDE POLICIES AND STANDAR DS RELATING TO THE 16
EMPLOYMENT , TRAINING, AND CAREER –READINESS OF INDIVID UALS WITH 17
DISABILITIES; 18
(3) COLLECTING INFORMATI ON AND DATA FROM UNI TS OF STATE 19
GOVERNMENT RELATING TO T HE EMPLOYMENT , TRAINING, AND 20
CAREER–READINESS OF INDIVID UALS WITH DISABILITI ES, IN ACCORDANCE WITH § 21
7–115 OF THIS TITLE; AND 22
(4) IMPLEMENTING THE MARYLAND AS A MODEL EMPLOYER 23
INITIATIVE, ESTABLISHED UNDER § 7–1205 OF THIS SUBTITLE. 24
(C) BEGINNING IN FISCAL Y EAR 2027, THE GOVERNOR MAY INCLUDE IN THE 25
ANNUAL BUDGET BILL A N APPROPRIATION OF $250,000 FOR THE OFFICE. 26
7–1203. 27
THE SECRETARY MAY ADOPT R EGULATIONS AS NECESS ARY TO CARRY OUT 28
THE PROVISIONS OF TH IS SUBTITLE. 29
4 HOUSE BILL 502
7–1204. 1
THIS SUBTITLE MAY NOT BE CONSTRUED TO ESTA BLISH AN ENTITLEMENT 2
PROGRAM. 3
7–1205. 4
(A) BEGINNING JULY 1, 2026, THE OFFICE SHALL BE RESPO NSIBLE FOR 5
IMPLEMENTATION AND O VERSIGHT OF THE MARYLAND AS A MODEL EMPLOYER 6
INITIATIVE. 7
(B) THE PURPOSE OF THE INITIATIVE SHALL INCLUDE : 8
(1) PROMOTING THE RECRUI TMENT, HIRING, RETENTION, AND 9
CAREER ADVANCEMENT O F PEOPLE WITH DISABI LITIES ACROSS STATE 10
GOVERNMENT ; 11
(2) CONDUCTING AND COORD INATING OUTREACH TO JOB SEEKERS 12
WITH DISABILITIES AN D STATE GOVERNMENT TO E NCOURAGE PARTICIPATION IN 13
THE INITIATIVE; 14
(3) DEVELOPING AND DELIV ERING TRAININGS TO STATE AGENCIES 15
AND UNITS ADDRESSING BEST PRACTICES , RESOURCES, AND RELEVANT FEDERAL 16
AND STATE LAWS PERTAINING TO THE EMPLOYMENT OF PEOPLE WITH 17
DISABILITIES; 18
(4) ASSISTING STATE GOVERNMENT AGEN CIES AND UNITS TO 19
ATTRACT QUALIFIED JO B SEEKERS WITH DISAB ILITIES TO AVAILABLE POSITIONS; 20
(5) PROMOTING ACCESS TO AND ACQUISITION OF A SSISTIVE 21
TECHNOLOGY FOR NEW STATE EMPLOYEES WITH DISABILITIES; 22
(6) EVALUATING STATE EMPLO YMENT PRACTICES AND POLICIES AND 23
MAKING RECOMMENDATIO NS REGARDING WAYS TO REDUCE BARRIERS FOR JOB 24
SEEKERS AND EMPLOYEE S WITH DISABILITIES; 25
(7) COLLECTING FROM EACH UNIT OF STATE GOVERNMENT , AS PART 26
OF THE PLANS REQUIRE D UNDER § 7–116 OF THIS TITLE, PERFORMANCE GOALS 27
RELATED TO HIRING AN D RETENTION EFFORTS FOR EMPLOYEES WITH D ISABILITIES 28
AND ANY DATA DEEMED NECESSARY BY THE SECRETARY TO DEMONSTR ATE 29
PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES ; AND 30
(8) REPORTING ON THE INITIATIVE’S OUTCOMES IN COMPLI ANCE 31
WITH SUBSECTION (C) OF THIS SECTION. 32 HOUSE BILL 502 5
(C) ON OR BEFORE DECEMBER 1, 2026, AND EACH DECEMBER 1 1
THEREAFTER , THE OFFICE SHALL REPORT T O THE GOVERNOR AND THE GENERAL 2
ASSEMBLY, IN ACCORDANCE WITH § 2–1257 OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE, 3
ON: 4
(1) PROGRESS AND OUTCOME S OF THE INITIATIVE; AND 5
(2) RECOMMENDATIONS DEVE LOPED BY THE INITIATIVE FOR 6
CONTINUED IMPROVEMEN T OF STATE GOVERNMENT EMPL OYMENT PRACTICES FOR 7
PEOPLE WITH DISABILI TIES. 8
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 9
1, 2025. 10
Approved:
________________________________________________________________________________
Governor.
________________________________________________________________________________
Speaker of the House of Delegates.
________________________________________________________________________________
President of the Senate.