| 1 | 1 | | By: Zaffirini S.B. No. 1559 |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | AN ACT |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | relating to an interagency plan to promote competitive and |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | integrated employment for persons with disabilities. |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 121, Human Resources Code, is amended by |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | adding Section 121.012 to read as follows: |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | Sec. 121.012. INTERAGENCY PLAN FOR COMPETITIVE AND |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | INTEGRATED EMPLOYMENT OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES. (a) The |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | comptroller, the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Workforce |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | Commission, and the Health and Human Services Commission, in |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | consultation with the Texas Council on Purchasing from People with |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | Disabilities, shall work together to develop and implement an |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | interagency plan designed to transition persons with disabilities |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | out of environments in which persons with disabilities are |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | segregated and receive wages that are less than minimum wage and |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | into environments in which persons with disabilities receive |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | competitive wages in integrated employment settings. |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | (b) Notwithstanding any other law, the plan established |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | under this section must: |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | (1) establish a timeline as follows: |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | (A) not later than September 1, 2016: |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | (i) the Texas Education Agency shall adopt |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | a plan to prohibit the future use of state funds for services |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | provided by a local education agency in a environments in which |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | persons with disabilities are segregated and receive wages that are |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | less than minimum wage; and |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | (ii) the Comptroller shall adopt a plan to |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | use revenue from the set-aside purchasing program administered by |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | the Texas Council on Purchasing from People with Disabilities to |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | convert environments in which persons with disabilities are |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | segregated and receive wages that are less than minimum wage to |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | individualized and community-based employment opportunities |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | offering at least minimum wage; |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | (B) not later than September 1, 2017: |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | (i) each state agency shall ensure that all |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | agency employees, including contract employees under set-aside |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | contracts for persons with disabilities, receive minimum wage; and |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | (ii) the comptroller shall develop and |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | implement policies that identify and remove barriers for state |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | agencies to hire and retain persons with disabilities in integrated |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | work environments at competitive wages; and |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | (C) not later than September 1, 2022, the Health |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | and Human Services Commission shall adopt a plan to prohibit the use |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | of state funds for programs offered in environments in which |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | persons with disabilities are segregated and receive wages that are |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | less than minimum wages; |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | (2) require the Department of Assistive and |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | Rehabilitative Services to conduct outreach to persons with |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | disabilities in sheltered workshops to determine the services, |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | reasonable accommodations, or assistive technology needed to |
|---|
| 55 | 55 | | increase the marketable job skills, productivity, and work options |
|---|
| 56 | 56 | | for persons with disabilities; |
|---|
| 57 | 57 | | (3) require the Texas Education Agency to implement a |
|---|
| 58 | 58 | | plan that promotes community-based work skills, supports, and |
|---|
| 59 | 59 | | employment options to students with disabilities who are at least |
|---|
| 60 | 60 | | 14 years of age; |
|---|
| 61 | 61 | | (4) establish financial assistance and incentives for |
|---|
| 62 | 62 | | employers that convert settings in which persons with disabilities |
|---|
| 63 | 63 | | are segregated and receive wages that are less than minimum wage |
|---|
| 64 | 64 | | into supported or integrated employment opportunities offering |
|---|
| 65 | 65 | | competitive wages; and |
|---|
| 66 | 66 | | (5) require state agencies participating in the |
|---|
| 67 | 67 | | implementation of the plan to collect data in a manner that provides |
|---|
| 68 | 68 | | information that is useful in determining how to sustain, expand, |
|---|
| 69 | 69 | | and improve employment opportunities supported by the plan. |
|---|
| 70 | 70 | | SECTION 2. Not later than January 1, 2016, the agencies |
|---|
| 71 | 71 | | described by Section 121.012, Human Resources Code, as added by |
|---|
| 72 | 72 | | this Act, shall develop the interagency plan required by that |
|---|
| 73 | 73 | | section. |
|---|
| 74 | 74 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote |
|---|
| 75 | 75 | | of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided |
|---|
| 76 | 76 | | by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does |
|---|
| 77 | 77 | | not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes |
|---|
| 78 | 78 | | effect September 1, 2015. |
|---|